Cytochrome c methylation

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 602-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Woon Ki Pair ◽  
Young-Bong Cho ◽  
Blaise Frost ◽  
Sangduk Kim

In this review, protein methylation is outlined in general terms, highlighting the major amino acids that are methylated and some of the proteins in which they are found. The majority of the review examines the methylation of cytochrome c at Lys-77 of lower eukaryotes as a possible model for methylation studies. Early work involving the purification and characterization of the methyltransferase responsible for this methylation indicated cytochrome c was methylated posttranslationally, yet prior to import into the mitochondria. Methylation in vitro occurred only at the in vivo methylation site and only on cytochrome c. Later studies using in vitro translated apocytochrome c revealed that methylated, as compared with unmethylated, apocytochrome c was imported preferentially into yeast, but not rat liver, mitochondria. Efforts to discover the reasons for this preference have shown that methylation of apocytochrome c dramatically lowers its isoelectric point (against a predicted increase) and decrease its Stokes radius. A possible mechanism for these differences involving the disruption of hydrogen bonds is presented here with space-filling models. Finally, the in vivo significance of this modification is also discussed.Key words: yeast iso-1-apocytochrome c, enzymatic methylation, in vitro translation, protein methylase III, pI change.

1993 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Demonacos ◽  
N.C. Tsawdaroglou ◽  
R. Djordjevic-Markovic ◽  
M. Papalopoulou ◽  
V. Galanopoulos ◽  
...  

1960 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. C. McMurray

The liver carcinogen, dimethylaminoazobenzene, inhibited in vitro the oxidation of a variety of pyridine nucleotide linked substrates of rat liver mitochondria without affecting the process of oxidative phosphorylation. Cytochrome c oxidase activity was not inhibited by the carcinogen, nor was the succinoxidase activity, but the phosphorylation accompanying succinate oxidation was uncoupled. Similar effects were noted with other aminoazobenzene derivatives, but did not appear to be correlated with the ability of the compounds to evoke tumors.The site of the respiratory inhibition by dimethylaminoazobenzene appears to be at the level between reduced pyridine nucleotide and cytochrome c in the respiratory chain. Mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity was not inhibited, while the oxidation of reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide was markedly decreased. The reduction of the electron acceptor, ferricyanide, by pyridine nucleotide linked substrates was also strongly inhibited but the reduction of tetrazolium compounds was not affected. The latter observations suggest that dimethylaminoazobenzene produces a metabolic block between reduced flavin and cytochrome c in the mitochondrial electron transport system.


Author(s):  
Burton B. Silver ◽  
James C. Hall

Correlative biochemical and structural studies have shown that insulin and Mg++ may act to alter the configuration and also enhance the efficiency of coupled phosphorylation in sonicated fragments of diabetic rat liver mitochondria. The diabetic preparations had consistently lowered P:O ratios which returned to normal values with addition of insulin in vivo or in vitro. Optimum coupling and structural changes with insulin required a Mg++ concentration of 5 × 10−5 M. Insulin remained effective diluted to a concentration of 2 × 10−4 I.U. per ml. Glutathione, bovine serum albumin, and Zn++ were ineffective in producing either coupling or structural changes. There seems to be a synergistic action of insulin and Mg++ in restoring P:O ratios in diabetic particles while simultaneously altering the structure toward normal control appearances. Fragments negatively stained with phosphotungstate indicated that the normal particles had well defined cristae with numerous evenly distributed, stalked subunits, 90 Å in diameter.


1988 ◽  
Vol 266 (2) ◽  
pp. 516-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente J. Miralles ◽  
Maria Jeśus Marcote ◽  
José Hernández-Yago ◽  
Santiago Grisoliá

1977 ◽  
Vol 164 (3) ◽  
pp. 685-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Marra ◽  
S Doonan ◽  
C Saccone ◽  
E Quagliariello

1. A method was devised to allow determination of intramitochondrial aspartate amino-transferase activity in suspensions of intact mitochondria. 2. Addition of purified rat liver mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase to suspensions of rat liver mitochondria caused an apparent increase in the intramitochondrial enzyme activity. No increase was observed when the mitochondria were preincubated with the purified cytoplasmic isoenzyme. 3. These results suggest that mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase, but not the cytoplasmic isoenzyme, is able to pass from solution into the matrix of intact rat liver mitochondria in vitro. 4. This system may provide a model for studies of the little-understood processes by which cytoplasmically synthesized components are incorporated into mitochondria in vivo.


2008 ◽  
Vol 417 (1) ◽  
pp. 247-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Débora P. Santana ◽  
Priscila A. Faria ◽  
Edgar J. Paredes-Gamero ◽  
Antonio C. F. Caires ◽  
Iseli L. Nantes ◽  
...  

Permeabilization of the mitochondrial membrane has been extensively associated with necrotic and apoptotic cell death. Similarly to what had been previously observed for B16F10-Nex2 murine melanoma cells, PdC (palladacycle compounds) obtained from the reaction of dmpa (N,N-dimethyl-1-phenethylamine) with the dppe [1,2-ethanebis(diphenylphosphine)] were able to induce apoptosis in HTC (hepatoma, tissue culture) cells, presenting anticancer activity in vitro. To elucidate cell site-specific actions of dmpa:dppe that could respond to the induction of apoptosis in cancer cells in the present study, we investigated the effects of PdC on isolated RLM (rat liver mitochondria). Our results showed that these palladacycles are able to induce a Ca2+-independent mitochondrial swelling that was not inhibited by ADP, Mg2+ and antioxidants. However, the PdC-induced mitochondrial permeabilization was partially prevented by pre-incubation with CsA (cyclosporin A), NEM (N-ethylmaleimide) and bongkreic acid and totally prevented by DTT (dithiothreitol). A decrease in the content of reduced thiol groups of the mitochondrial membrane proteins was also observed, as well as the presence of membrane protein aggregates in SDS/PAGE without lipid and GSH oxidation. FTIR (Fourier-transform IR) analysis of PdC-treated RLM demonstrated the formation of disulfide bonds between critical thiols in mitochondrial membrane proteins. Associated with the mitochondrial permeabilization, PdC also induced the release of cytochrome c, which is sensitive to inhibition by DTT. Besides the contribution to clarify the pro-apoptotic mechanism of PdC, this study shows that the catalysis of specific protein thiol cross-linkage is enough to induce mitochondrial permeabilization and cytochrome c release.


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