scholarly journals High-Conductance Channel Formation in Yeast Mitochondria is Mediated by F-ATP Synthase e and g Subunits

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 1840-1855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michela Carraro ◽  
Vanessa Checchetto ◽  
Geppo Sartori ◽  
Roza Kucharczyk ◽  
Jean-Paul di Rago ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: The permeability transition pore (PTP) is an unselective, Ca2+-dependent high conductance channel of the inner mitochondrial membrane whose molecular identity has long remained a mystery. The most recent hypothesis is that pore formation involves the F-ATP synthase, which consistently generates Ca2+-activated channels. Available structures do not display obvious features that can accommodate a channel; thus, how the pore can form and whether its activity can be entirely assigned to F-ATP synthase is the matter of debate. In this study, we investigated the role of F-ATP synthase subunits e, g and b in PTP formation. Methods: Yeast null mutants for e, g and the first transmembrane (TM) α-helix of subunit b were generated and evaluated for mitochondrial morphology (electron microscopy), membrane potential (Rhodamine123 fluorescence) and respiration (Clark electrode). Homoplasmic C23S mutant of subunit a was generated by in vitro mutagenesis followed by biolistic transformation. F-ATP synthase assembly was evaluated by BN-PAGE analysis. Cu2+ treatment was used to induce the formation of F-ATP synthase dimers in the absence of e and g subunits. The electrophysiological properties of F-ATP synthase were assessed in planar lipid bilayers. Results: Null mutants for the subunits e and g display dimer formation upon Cu2+ treatment and show PTP-dependent mitochondrial Ca2+ release but not swelling. Cu2+ treatment causes formation of disulfide bridges between Cys23 of subunits a that stabilize dimers in absence of e and g subunits and favors the open state of wild-type F-ATP synthase channels. Absence of e and g subunits decreases conductance of the F-ATP synthase channel about tenfold. Ablation of the first TM of subunit b, which creates a distinct lateral domain with e and g, further affected channel activity. Conclusion: F-ATP synthase e, g and b subunits create a domain within the membrane that is critical for the generation of the high-conductance channel, thus is a prime candidate for PTP formation. Subunits e and g are only present in eukaryotes and may have evolved to confer this novel function to F-ATP synthase.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (20) ◽  
pp. 11022
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Federico Amodeo ◽  
Natalya Krilyuk ◽  
Evgeny V. Pavlov

The c subunit of the ATP synthase is an inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) protein. Besides its role as the main component of the rotor of the ATP synthase, c subunit from mammalian mitochondria exhibits ion channel activity. In particular, c subunit may be involved in one of the pathways leading to the formation of the permeability transition pore (PTP) during mitochondrial permeability transition (PT), a phenomenon consisting of the permeabilization of the IMM due to high levels of calcium. Our previous study on the synthetic c subunit showed that high concentrations of calcium induce misfolding into cross-β oligomers that form low-conductance channels in model lipid bilayers of about 400 pS. Here, we studied the effect of cyclophilin D (CypD), a mitochondrial chaperone and major regulator of PTP, on the electrophysiological activity of the c subunit to evaluate its role in the functional properties of c subunit. Our study shows that in presence of CypD, c subunit exhibits a larger conductance, up to 4 nS, that could be related to its potential role in mitochondrial toxicity. Further, our results suggest that CypD is necessary for the formation of c subunit induced PTP but may not be an integral part of the pore.


2019 ◽  
Vol 294 (28) ◽  
pp. 10987-10997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lishu Guo ◽  
Michela Carraro ◽  
Andrea Carrer ◽  
Giovanni Minervini ◽  
Andrea Urbani ◽  
...  

The mitochondrial F-ATP synthase is a complex molecular motor arranged in V-shaped dimers that is responsible for most cellular ATP synthesis in aerobic conditions. In the yeast F-ATP synthase, subunits e and g of the FO sector constitute a lateral domain, which is required for dimer stability and cristae formation. Here, by using site-directed mutagenesis, we identified Arg-8 of subunit e as a critical residue in mediating interactions between subunits e and g, most likely through an interaction with Glu-83 of subunit g. Consistent with this hypothesis, (i) the substitution of Arg-8 in subunit e (eArg-8) with Ala or Glu or of Glu-83 in subunit g (gGlu-83) with Ala or Lys destabilized the digitonin-extracted F-ATP synthase, resulting in decreased dimer formation as revealed by blue-native electrophoresis; and (ii) simultaneous substitution of eArg-8 with Glu and of gGlu-83 with Lys rescued digitonin-stable F-ATP synthase dimers. When tested in lipid bilayers for generation of Ca2+-dependent channels, WT dimers displayed the high-conductance channel activity expected for the mitochondrial megachannel/permeability transition pore, whereas dimers obtained at low digitonin concentrations from the Arg-8 variants displayed currents of strikingly small conductance. Remarkably, double replacement of eArg-8 with Glu and of gGlu-83 with Lys restored high-conductance channels indistinguishable from those seen in WT enzymes. These findings suggest that the interaction of subunit e with subunit g is important for generation of the full-conductance megachannel from F-ATP synthase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 127 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prema Velusamy ◽  
Shanmughapriya Santhanam

Magnesium (Mg 2+ ) is an important cation critical for cellular functions and tissue integrity. Mitochondria have been demonstrated to be capable of both accumulate and release Mg 2+ . However, the exact molecular machinery associated with mitochondrial Mg 2+ (mMg 2+ ) influx has not yet been delineated. In the present study we characterized the mammalian mMg 2+ channel, Mrs2 and comprehensively studied its role in energy metabolism. Protein flux, membrane fractionation and STED microscopy studies revealed Mrs2 to localize on the inner mitochondrial membrane with its N and C-terminus in the matrix. Western blot and qPCR analysis confirmed the ubiquitous distribution of Mrs2 in all metabolically active tissues. We adopted lentiviral based strategy to stably knock down (KD) Mrs2 in vitro . Primarily, the use of FRET-based mMg 2+ sensor, MitoMario showed a decreased influx of Mg 2+ into mitochondria in Mrs2 KD cells. This was further confirmed by patch clamping the mitoplasts of the control and Mrs2 KD cells. Because Mg 2+ is an important co-factor in the machineries that replicate, we next assessed the mitochondrial copy number. The decreased influx of mMg 2+ impacted the mitochondrial copy number and electron transport chain (ETC) complex assembly. The defective ETC assembly was marked by increased generation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, increased proton leak, decreased ATP levels, and also prompted a metabolic switch from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to glucose oxidation in Mrs2 KD cells. Additionally, Mrs2 KD cells had an increased sensitivity to mROS-induced mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening. To further study the role of Mrs2 in cardiac mitochondrial metabolism and cellular energetics, we have successfully adopted the CRISPR/Cas9 mediated gene targeting strategy to generate the cardiac-specific Mrs2 knock out mouse model. Our study is the first of its kind to characterize the mitochondrial Mg 2+ channel and its impact on mitochondrial copy number and cell viability. Our findings not only identify Mrs2 as an authentic mitochondrial Mg 2+ channel, but also validates the critical role of mMg 2+ in maintaining the bioenergetic state of the cell.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Federico Amodeo ◽  
Brenda Yasie Lee ◽  
Natalya Krilyuk ◽  
Carina Teresa Filice ◽  
Denis Valyuk ◽  
...  

AbstractThe c subunit is an inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) protein encoded by three nuclear genes. Best known as an integral part of the F0 complex of the ATP synthase, the c subunit is also present in other cytoplasmic compartments in ceroid lipofuscinoses. Under physiological conditions, this 75 residue-long peptide folds into an α-helical hairpin and forms oligomers spanning the lipid bilayer. In addition to its physiological role, the c subunit has been proposed as a key participant in stress-induced IMM permeabilization by the mechanism of calcium-induced permeability transition. However, the molecular mechanism of the c subunit participation in IMM permeabilization is not completely understood. Here we used fluorescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and black lipid membrane methods to gain insights into the structural and functional properties of unmodified c subunit protein that might make it relevant to mitochondrial toxicity. We discovered that c subunit is an amyloidogenic peptide that can spontaneously fold into β-sheets and self-assemble into fibrils and oligomers in a Ca2+-dependent manner. C subunit oligomers exhibited ion channel activity in lipid membranes. We propose that the toxic effects of c subunit might be linked to its amyloidogenic properties and are driven by mechanisms similar to those of neurodegenerative polypeptides such as Aβ and α-synuclein.


eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenchang Zhou ◽  
Fabrizio Marinelli ◽  
Corrine Nief ◽  
José D Faraldo-Gómez

Pathological metabolic conditions such as ischemia induce the rupture of the mitochondrial envelope and the release of pro-apoptotic proteins, leading to cell death. At the onset of this process, the inner mitochondrial membrane becomes depolarized and permeable to osmolytes, proposedly due to the opening of a non-selective protein channel of unknown molecular identity. A recent study purports that this channel, referred to as Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore (MPTP), is formed within the c-subunit ring of the ATP synthase, upon its dissociation from the catalytic domain of the enzyme. Here, we examine this claim for two c-rings of different lumen width, through calculations of their ion conductance and selectivity based on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. We also quantify the likelihood that the lumen of these c-rings is in a hydrated, potentially conducting state rather than empty or blocked by lipid molecules. These calculations demonstrate that the structure and biophysical properties of a correctly assembled c-ring are inconsistent with those attributed to the MPTP.


Cell Reports ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 109111
Author(s):  
Chiara Galber ◽  
Giovanni Minervini ◽  
Giuseppe Cannino ◽  
Francesco Boldrin ◽  
Valeria Petronilli ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Giuseppe Federico Amodeo ◽  
Brenda Yasie Lee ◽  
Natalya Krilyuk ◽  
Carina Teresa Filice ◽  
Denis Valyuk ◽  
...  

AbstractThe c subunit is an inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) protein and is an integral part of the F0 complex of the ATP synthase. Under physiological conditions, this short 75 residue-long peptide folds into an α-helical hairpin and forms oligomers spanning the lipid bilayer. In addition to its physiological role, the c subunit has been proposed as a key participant in stress-induced IMM permeabilization by the mechanism of calcium-induced permeability transition. However, the molecular mechanism of the c subunit participation in IMM permeabilization is not completely understood. Here we used fluorescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and black lipid membrane methods to gain insights into the structural and functional properties of c subunit protein that make it relevant to mitochondrial toxicity. We discovered that c subunit is an amyloidogenic peptide that can spontaneously fold into β-sheets and self-assemble into fibrils and oligomers. C subunit oligomers exhibited ion channel activity in lipid membranes. We propose that the toxic effects of c subunit might be linked to its amyloidogenic properties and are driven by mechanisms similar to those of neurodegenerative polypeptides such as Aβ and α-synuclein.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (34) ◽  
pp. 9086-9091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiuya He ◽  
Joe Carroll ◽  
Shujing Ding ◽  
Ian M. Fearnley ◽  
John E. Walker

The opening of a nonspecific channel, known as the permeability transition pore (PTP), in the inner membranes of mitochondria can be triggered by calcium ions, leading to swelling of the organelle, disruption of the inner membrane and ATP synthesis, and cell death. Pore opening can be inhibited by cyclosporin A mediated via cyclophilin D. It has been proposed that the pore is associated with the dimeric ATP synthase and the oligomycin sensitivity conferral protein (OSCP), a component of the enzyme’s peripheral stalk, provides the site at which cyclophilin D interacts. Subunit b contributes a central α-helical structure to the peripheral stalk, extending from near the top of the enzyme’s catalytic domain and crossing the membrane domain of the enzyme via two α-helices. We investigated the possible involvement of the subunit b and the OSCP in the PTP by generating clonal cells, HAP1-Δb and HAP1-ΔOSCP, lacking the membrane domain of subunit b or the OSCP, respectively, in which the corresponding genes, ATP5F1 and ATP5O, had been disrupted. Both cell lines preserve the characteristic properties of the PTP; therefore, the membrane domain of subunit b does not contribute to the PTP, and the OSCP does not provide the site of interaction with cyclophilin D. The membrane subunits ATP6, ATP8, and subunit c have been eliminated previously from possible participation in the PTP; thus, the only subunits of ATP synthase that could participate in pore formation are e, f, g, diabetes-associated protein in insulin-sensitive tissues (DAPIT), and the 6.8-kDa proteolipid.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1863
Author(s):  
Joseph Flores-Toro ◽  
Sung-Kook Chun ◽  
Jun-Kyu Shin ◽  
Joan Campbell ◽  
Melissa Lichtenberger ◽  
...  

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury unavoidably occurs during hepatic resection and transplantation. Aged livers poorly tolerate I/R during surgical treatment. Although livers have a powerful endogenous inhibitor of calpains, calpastatin (CAST), I/R activates calpains, leading to impaired autophagy, mitochondrial dysfunction, and hepatocyte death. It is unknown how I/R in aged livers affects CAST. Human and mouse liver biopsies at different ages were collected during in vivo I/R. Hepatocytes were isolated from 3-month- (young) and 26-month-old (aged) mice, and challenged with short in vitro simulated I/R. Cell death, protein expression, autophagy, and mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) between the two age groups were compared. Adenoviral vector was used to overexpress CAST. Significant cell death was observed only in reperfused aged hepatocytes. Before the commencement of ischemia, CAST expression in aged human and mouse livers and mouse hepatocytes was markedly greater than that in young counterparts. However, reperfusion substantially decreased CAST in aged human and mouse livers. In hepatocytes, reperfusion rapidly depleted aged cells of CAST, cleaved autophagy-related protein 5 (ATG5), and induced defective autophagy and MPT onset, all of which were blocked by CAST overexpression. Furthermore, mitochondrial morphology was shifted toward an elongated shape with CAST overexpression. In conclusion, CAST in aged livers is intrinsically short-lived and lost after short I/R. CAST depletion contributes to age-dependent liver injury after I/R.


1998 ◽  
Vol 1414 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 260-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christelle Spannagel ◽  
Jacques Vaillier ◽  
Geneviéve Arselin ◽  
Pierre-Vincent Graves ◽  
Xavier Grandier-Vazeille ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document