scholarly journals Recombinant expression of the voltage-dependent anion channel enhances the transfer of Ca2+ microdomains to mitochondria

2002 ◽  
Vol 159 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Rapizzi ◽  
Paolo Pinton ◽  
György Szabadkai ◽  
Mariusz R. Wieckowski ◽  
Grégoire Vandecasteele ◽  
...  

Although the physiological relevance of mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis is widely accepted, no information is yet available on the molecular identity of the proteins involved in this process. Here we analyzed the role of the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) of the outer mitochondrial membrane in the transmission of Ca2+ signals between the ER and mitochondria by measuring cytosolic and organelle [Ca2+] with targeted aequorins and Ca2+-sensitive GFPs. In HeLa cells and skeletal myotubes, the transient expression of VDAC enhanced the amplitude of the agonist-dependent increases in mitochondrial matrix Ca2+ concentration by allowing the fast diffusion of Ca2+ from ER release sites to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Indeed, high speed imaging of mitochondrial and cytosolic [Ca2+] changes showed that the delay between the rises occurring in the two compartments is significantly shorter in VDAC-overexpressing cells. As to the functional consequences, VDAC-overexpressing cells are more susceptible to ceramide-induced cell death, thus confirming that mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake plays a key role in the process of apoptosis. These results reveal a novel function for the widely expressed VDAC channel, identifying it as a molecular component of the routes for Ca2+ transport across the mitochondrial membranes.

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (40) ◽  
pp. 19924-19929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin H. Lipper ◽  
Jason T. Stofleth ◽  
Fang Bai ◽  
Yang-Sung Sohn ◽  
Susmita Roy ◽  
...  

MitoNEET is an outer mitochondrial membrane protein essential for sensing and regulation of iron and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. It is a key player in multiple human maladies including diabetes, cancer, neurodegeneration, and Parkinson’s diseases. In healthy cells, mitoNEET receives its clusters from the mitochondrion and transfers them to acceptor proteins in a process that could be altered by drugs or during illness. Here, we report that mitoNEET regulates the outer-mitochondrial membrane (OMM) protein voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1). VDAC1 is a crucial player in the cross talk between the mitochondria and the cytosol. VDAC proteins function to regulate metabolites, ions, ROS, and fatty acid transport, as well as function as a “governator” sentry for the transport of metabolites and ions between the cytosol and the mitochondria. We find that the redox-sensitive [2Fe-2S] cluster protein mitoNEET gates VDAC1 when mitoNEET is oxidized. Addition of the VDAC inhibitor 4,4′-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2′-disulfonate (DIDS) prevents both mitoNEET binding in vitro and mitoNEET-dependent mitochondrial iron accumulation in situ. We find that the DIDS inhibitor does not alter the redox state of MitoNEET. Taken together, our data indicate that mitoNEET regulates VDAC in a redox-dependent manner in cells, closing the pore and likely disrupting VDAC’s flow of metabolites.


Circulation ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qunli Cheng ◽  
Zeljko J Bosnjak ◽  
Wai-Meng Kwok

The mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) has been implicated as the end effector in ischemic and pharmacological preconditioning. Though the molecular composition of the mPTP is thought to consist of cyclophilin D located in the mitochondrial matrix, adenine nucleotide translocase on the inner mitochondrial membrane, and the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) on the outer mitochondrial membrane, recent studies have raised the possibility that VDAC may be a regulatory, rather than a major, component of mPTP. Nevertheless, VDAC is likely to be a critical component of the preconditioning signaling pathway since it is the main conduit for metabolite diffusion across the mitochondrial outer membrane. Yet, the direct measurements of cardiac VDAC activity and modulation have been limited. In the present study, we purified VDAC from rat hearts using standard procedure and investigated its modulation by phosphatase and hexokinase. VDAC was incorporated into planar lipid bilayer for measurements of channel activities. The channel exhibited the reported voltage-dependent gating. Several conductance states were identified, with the most prevalent between 1.5 to 2 nS in 0.5 M NaCl. Koenig’s polyanion, a VDAC blocker, triggered channel flickering and decreased the mean current by 78±6%. In the presence of phosphatase (1 unit/ml), the mean conductance significantly increased from 1.81±0.03 to 3.68±0.61 nS (n=9; mean±SEM). However, the addition of a recombinant hexokinase (5 units/ml; GenWay Biotech) had no significant effect on the phosphatase-enhanced VDAC current (n=4). In contrast, recombinant hexokinase alone significantly decreased the mean conductance from 1.75±0.05 to 0.79±0.19 nS (n=4). The addition of phosphatase reversed the inhibitory effect of hexokinase and further enhanced VDAC activity, increasing the mean conductance to 2.69±0.19 nS (n=4). Our results suggest that the dephosphorylation of VDAC prevents the inhibitory effects of hexokinase. Furthermore, VDAC activity suppressed by hexokinase can be reversed by dephosphorylation of the channel. In conclusion, we have reported on a novel observation at the functional level that basal phosphorylation of the cardiac VDAC may be required for its modulation by hexokinase.


2001 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Krimmer ◽  
Doron Rapaport ◽  
Michael T. Ryan ◽  
Chris Meisinger ◽  
C. Kenneth Kassenbrock ◽  
...  

Porin, also termed the voltage-dependent anion channel, is the most abundant protein of the mitochondrial outer membrane. The process of import and assembly of the protein is known to be dependent on the surface receptor Tom20, but the requirement for other mitochondrial proteins remains controversial. We have used mitochondria from Neurospora crassa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae to analyze the import pathway of porin. Import of porin into isolated mitochondria in which the outer membrane has been opened is inhibited despite similar levels of Tom20 as in intact mitochondria. A matrix-destined precursor and the porin precursor compete for the same translocation sites in both normal mitochondria and mitochondria whose surface receptors have been removed, suggesting that both precursors utilize the general import pore. Using an assay established to monitor the assembly of in vitro–imported porin into preexisting porin complexes we have shown that besides Tom20, the biogenesis of porin depends on the central receptor Tom22, as well as Tom5 and Tom7 of the general import pore complex (translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane [TOM] core complex). The characterization of two new mutant alleles of the essential pore protein Tom40 demonstrates that the import of porin also requires a functional Tom40. Moreover, the porin precursor can be cross-linked to Tom20, Tom22, and Tom40 on its import pathway. We conclude that import of porin does not proceed through the action of Tom20 alone, but requires an intact outer membrane and involves at least four more subunits of the TOM machinery, including the general import pore.


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