scholarly journals Evaluating the Functional Pore Size of Chloroplast TOC and TIC Protein Translocons

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iniyan Ganesan ◽  
Lan-Xin Shi ◽  
Mathias Labs ◽  
Steven M. Theg
Keyword(s):  
Pore Size ◽  
Protein Unfolding ◽  
Protein Import ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein ◽  
Transit Peptide ◽  
Small Subunit ◽  
Chloroplast Envelope ◽  
Residual Structure ◽  
Folded Proteins

ABSTRACTThe degree of residual structure retained by proteins while passing through biological membranes is a fundamental mechanistic question of protein translocation. Proteins are generally thought to be unfolded while transported through canonical proteinaceous translocons, which has historically been the thought for the translocons of the outer and inner chloroplast envelope membranes (TOC and TIC). Here, we readdressed the issue and found that medium-sized tightly folded proteins such as the 22 kDa dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) can be tolerated by TOC and TIC. Chimeric DHFR fused with RuBisCO small subunit transit peptide (tp22DHFR) was found to be imported into chloroplasts in complex with its stabilizing ligand, methotrexate (MTX), in a folded conformation. Following import, both mature tp22DHFR and MTX were found in the chloroplast stroma. A subsaturating concentration of MTX was used to exclude the possibility that MTX was stripped off tp22DHFR, independently imported into the chloroplasts, and reassociated with imported tp22DHFR. Independent MTX import was further excluded by use of fluorescein conjugated MTX (FMTX), which has very slow membrane transport rates relative to unconjugated MTX. The TOC/TIC pore size was determined by probing the translocons with particles of fixed diameter and found to be greater than 25.6 Å, large enough to support folded DHFR import. The pore size is also larger than those of the mitochondrial protein translocons that have a requirement for protein unfolding.SIGNIFICANCEThe chloroplast TOC and TIC translocons are responsible for the import of up to 95% of all chloroplast proteins and are therefore essential for plastid biogenesis and photosynthesis. However, the mechanisms of protein import into chloroplasts are not well understood. The TOC/TIC translocons have long been suggested to have a strong unfoldase activity relative to other comparable protein translocons. Here, we present data suggesting that this is not true, and that instead, they possess a relatively large pore size. This identifies TOC and TIC as rather unique protein translocons capable of transporting folded proteins across a double membrane barrier, which has important implications in the mechanisms of TOC/TIC function and biogenesis of photosynthetic proteins.Classification - Biochemistry

scholarly journals A mammalian cytochrome fused to a chloroplast transit peptide is a functional haemoprotein and is imported into isolated chloroplasts

2000 ◽  
Vol 351 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan-Yun LIU ◽  
Naheed KADERBHAI ◽  
Mustak A. KADERBHAI
Keyword(s):  
Protein Import ◽  
Transit Peptide ◽  
Small Subunit ◽  
Precursor Protein ◽  
Chloroplast Envelope ◽  
Globular Domain ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Chloroplast Transit Peptide ◽  
Bisphosphate Carboxylase ◽  
Isolated Chloroplasts

The small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is a major chloroplast stromal protein that is cytosolically synthesized as a precursor with an N-terminal extension, known as the transit sequence or transit peptide (Tp). The Tp is essential for the post-translational uptake of the precursor by the chloroplast. The Tp is thought to influence the conformation of the precursor protein and to facilitate polypeptide translocation across the chloroplast envelope barrier via a Tp-selective translocon. To address these issues we have devised a novel strategy to generate substrate amounts of a chloroplast targeting sequence as a fusion with the chromogenic globular domain of cytochrome b5 (Cyt). The chimaeric protein is an ideal probe for investigating the conformation of a preprotein and events surrounding protein import into isolated chloroplasts. The Cyt of liver endoplasmic reticulum was fused at its N-terminus with the Tp of the small subunit of Rubisco of Pisum sativum (pea). To enhance its production by clearance from the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli, the chimaera was engineered by further N-terminal linkage of a prokaryotic secretory signal. Expression of this tripartite fusion resulted in mg quantities of the signal sequence–processed Tp–Cyt protein, which was eventually targeted to the membranes. The chromogenic nature of the chimaera and its localization to the bacterial membrane facilitated the biochemical isolation of the precursor in a soluble and functional form. The purified preprotein displayed spectral and enzymic properties that were indistinguishable from the native parental Cyt, implying an absence of observable influence of the Tp on the conformation of the haemoprotein. The chimaeric precursor was imported into the stroma of the isolated chloroplasts in a dose-dependent manner. Import was also strongly dependent upon exogenously supplied ATP. The stromally imported chimaeric precursor protein was processed to a size characteristic of Cyt.

scholarly journals The spliced leader RNA silencing (SLS) pathway in Trypanosoma brucei is induced by perturbations of endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, or mitochondrial proteins factors and functional analysis of SLS inducing kinase, PK3

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uthman Okalang ◽  
Bar Mualem Bar-Ner ◽  
K. Shanmugha Rajan ◽  
Nehemya Friedman ◽  
Saurav Aryal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Trypanosoma Brucei ◽  
Rna Silencing ◽  
Protein Import ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein ◽  
Serine Threonine Kinase ◽  
Spliced Leader ◽  
Quiescin Sulfhydryl Oxidase ◽  
Spliced Leader Rna

ABSTRACTIn the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of human African sleeping sickness, all mRNAs are trans-spliced to generate a common 5’ exon derived from the spliced leader RNA (SL RNA). Perturbations of protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) induce the spliced leader RNA silencing (SLS) pathway. SLS activation is mediated by a serine-threonine kinase, PK3, which translocates from the cytosolic face of the ER to the nucleus, where it phosphorylates the TATA binding protein TRF4, leading to the shut-off of SL RNA transcription, followed by induction of programmed cell death. Here, we demonstrate that SLS is also induced by depletion of the essential ER resident chaperones BiP and calreticulin, ER oxidoreductin 1 (ERO1), and the Golgi-localized quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase (QSOX1). Most strikingly, silencing of Rhomboid-like 1(TIMRHOM1) involved in mitochondrial protein import, also induces SLS. The PK3 kinase, which integrates SLS signals, is modified by phosphorylation on multiple sites. To determine which of the phosphorylation events activate PK3, several individual mutations or their combination were generated. These mutations failed to completely eliminate the phosphorylation or translocation of the kinase to the nucleus. The structure of PK3 kinase and its ATP binding domain were therefore modeled. A conserved phenylalanine at position 771 was proposed to interact with ATP, and the PK3F771L mutation completely eliminated phosphorylation under SLS, suggesting that the activation involves most if not all the phosphorylation sites. The study suggests that the SLS occurs broadly in response to failures in protein sorting, folding, or modification across multiple compartments.

Influence of aging on protein import into cardiac mitochondria

1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (6) ◽  
pp. H2983-H2988 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. E. Craig ◽  
D. A. Hood
Keyword(s):  
Protein Import ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein ◽  
In Vitro Transcription ◽  
Heat Shock Protein 60 ◽  
Cardiac Mitochondria ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Matrix Compartment

This study was undertaken to determine whether age-related changes in the content and composition of cardiac mitochondria could be due, in part, to alterations in mitochondrial protein import. Precursor proteins malate dehydrogenase and ornithine carbamoyltransferase were synthesized by in vitro transcription and translation and were incubated with mitochondria isolated from the hearts of young (4-mo), old (22-mo), and senescent (28-mo) rats. Mitochondria from senescent animals exhibited a twofold higher import rate of both precursors into the matrix compartment compared with mitochondria from young and old animals. The expression of glucose regulated protein 75 and heat shock protein 60, two matrix chaperonins that are essential for import, was elevated in the mitochondria of both old and senescent animals before the observed changes in import. Import was equally affected in senescent and young heart mitochondria by inhibition of cardiolipin, a mitochondrial phospholipid involved in protein translocation. The results indicate that the altered mitochondrial phenotype evident in the aging myocardium cannot be accounted for by reduced rates of protein import. Furthermore, levels of cardiolipin and matrix chaperonins do not appear to be rate-limiting steps in the import process. These data suggest that the protein import step of mitochondrial assembly is subject to adaptations under pathophysiological conditions.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial Protein Import

2004 ◽  
Vol 279 (44) ◽  
pp. 45701-45707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Esaki ◽  
Hidaka Shimizu ◽  
Tomoko Ono ◽  
Hayashi Yamamoto ◽  
Takashi Kanamori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Membrane ◽  
Protein Import ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein ◽  
Intermembrane Space ◽  
Outer Mitochondrial Membrane ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein Import ◽  
Tom Complex ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Cytosolic Side

Protein translocation across the outer mitochondrial membrane is mediated by the translocator called the TOM (translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane) complex. The TOM complex possesses two presequence binding sites on the cytosolic side (thecissite) and on the intermembrane space side (thetranssite). Here we analyzed the requirement of presequence elements and subunits of the TOM complex for presequence binding to thecisandtranssites of the TOM complex. The N-terminal 14 residues of the presequence of subunit 9 of F0-ATPase are required for binding to thetranssite. The interaction between the presequence and thecissite is not sufficient to anchor the precursor protein to the TOM complex. Tom7 constitutes or is close to thetranssite and has overlapping functions with the C-terminal intermembrane space domain of Tom22 in the mitochondrial protein import.

scholarly journals Two components of the chloroplast protein import apparatus, IAP86 and IAP75, interact with the transit sequence during the recognition and translocation of precursor proteins at the outer envelope.

1996 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Ma ◽  
A Kouranov ◽  
S E LaSala ◽  
D J Schnell
Keyword(s):  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Protein Import ◽  
Small Subunit ◽  
Chloroplast Envelope ◽  
Stable Complex ◽  
Nucleoside Triphosphate ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Outer Envelope ◽  
Bisphosphate Carboxylase ◽  
Precursor Proteins

The interactions of precursor proteins with components of the chloroplast envelope were investigated during the early stages of protein import using a chemical cross-linking strategy. In the absence of energy, two components of the outer envelope import machinery, IAP86 and IAP75, cross-linked to the transit sequence of the precursor to the small subunit of ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase (pS) in a precursor binding assay. In the presence of concentrations of ATP or GTP that support maximal precursor binding to the envelope, cross-linking to the transit sequence occurred predominantly with IAP75 and a previously unidentified 21-kD polypeptide of the inner membrane, indicating that the transit sequence had inserted across the outer membrane. Cross-linking of envelope components to sequences in the mature portion of a second precursor, preferredoxin, was detected in the presence of ATP or GTP, suggesting that sequences distant from the transit sequence were brought into the vicinity of the outer membrane under these conditions. IAP75 and a third import component, IAP34, were coimmunoprecipitated with IAP86 antibodies from solubilized envelope membranes, indicating that these three proteins form a stable complex in the outer membrane. On the basis of these observations, we propose that IAP86 and IAP75 act as components of a multisubunit complex to mediate energy-independent recognition of the transit sequence and subsequent nucleoside triphosphate-induced insertion of the transit sequence across the outer membrane.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial protein import: An unexpected disulfide bond

2016 ◽  
Vol 214 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dejana Mokranjac
Keyword(s):  
Disulfide Bond ◽  
Protein Import ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein ◽  
Channel Gating ◽  
Mitochondrial Proteins ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein Import ◽  
Cell Biol ◽  
Molecular Nature

Most mitochondrial proteins are imported through the TIM23 translocation channel, the structure and molecular nature of which are still unclear. In this issue, Ramesh et al. (2016. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201602074) show that the TIM23 subunit Tim17 contains a disulfide bond that is crucial for protein translocation and channel gating.

scholarly journals Tim23–Tim50 pair coordinates functions of translocators and motor proteins in mitochondrial protein import

2009 ◽  
Vol 184 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasushi Tamura ◽  
Yoshihiro Harada ◽  
Takuya Shiota ◽  
Koji Yamano ◽  
Kazuaki Watanabe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Proteins ◽  
Protein Import ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein ◽  
Intermembrane Space ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein Import ◽  
Inner Membrane ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
General Protein ◽  
Mitochondrial Hsp70

Mitochondrial protein traffic requires coordinated operation of protein translocator complexes in the mitochondrial membrane. The TIM23 complex translocates and inserts proteins into the mitochondrial inner membrane. Here we analyze the intermembrane space (IMS) domains of Tim23 and Tim50, which are essential subunits of the TIM23 complex, in these functions. We find that interactions of Tim23 and Tim50 in the IMS facilitate transfer of precursor proteins from the TOM40 complex, a general protein translocator in the outer membrane, to the TIM23 complex. Tim23–Tim50 interactions also facilitate a late step of protein translocation across the inner membrane by promoting motor functions of mitochondrial Hsp70 in the matrix. Therefore, the Tim23–Tim50 pair coordinates the actions of the TOM40 and TIM23 complexes together with motor proteins for mitochondrial protein import.

Structural basis of mitochondrial protein import by the TIM complex

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Im Sim ◽  
Yuanyuan Chen ◽  
Eunyong Park
Keyword(s):  
Protein Import ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein Import ◽  
Conducting Channel ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Membrane Envelope

Mitochondria import nearly all their ~1,000-2,000 constituent proteins from the cytosol across their double membrane envelope. Genetic and biochemical studies have shown that the conserved protein translocase, termed the TIM complex (also known as TIM23 complex), mediates import of presequence-containing proteins into the mitochondrial matrix and inner membrane. Among ~10 different subunits of the complex, the essential multi-pass membrane protein Tim23, together with the evolutionarily related protein Tim17, has long been postulated to form a protein-conducting channel. However, the mechanism of TIM-mediated protein import remains uncertain due to a lack of structural information on the complex. Here, we have determined the cryo-EM structure of the core TIM complex (Tim17-Tim23-Tim44) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that, contrary to the prevailing model, Tim23 and Tim17 do not form a water-filled channel, but instead have separate, lipid-exposed concave cavities that face in opposite directions. Remarkably, our data suggest that the cavity of Tim17 itself forms the protein translocation path whereas Tim23 plays a structural role. We also show how the Tim17-Tim23 heterodimer associates with the scaffold protein Tim44 and J-domain proteins to mediate Hsp70-driven polypeptide transport into the matrix. Our work provides the structural foundation to understand the mechanism of TIM-mediated protein import and sorting, a central pathway in mitochondrial biogenesis.

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