Structural basis for the interaction of the chaperone Cbp3 with newly synthesized cytochrome b during mitochondrial respiratory chain assembly

Assembly of the mitochondrial respiratory chain requires the coordinated synthesis of mitochondrial and nuclear encoded subunits, redox co-factor acquisition, and correct joining of the subunits to form functional complexes. The conserved Cbp3-Cbp6 chaperone complex binds newly synthesized cytochrome b and supports the ordered acquisition of the heme co-factors. Moreover, it functions as a translational activator by interacting with the mitoribosome. Cbp3 consists of two distinct domains, an N-terminal domain present in mitochondrial Cbp3 homologs, and a highly conserved C-terminal domain comprising a ubiquinol-cytochrome c chaperone region. Here, we solved the crystal structure of this C-terminal domain from a bacterial homolog at 1.4 Å resolution, revealing a unique all-helical fold. This structure allowed mapping of the interaction sites of yeast Cbp3 with Cbp6 and cytochrome b via site-specific photo-crosslinking. We propose that mitochondrial Cbp3 homologs carry an N-terminal extension that positions the conserved C-terminal domain at the ribosomal tunnel exit for an efficient interaction with its substrate, the newly synthesized cytochrome b protein

Structure and Biogenesis of Membrane Proteins

Membrane proteins make up about one-third of the cellular proteome. The diverse roles that membrane proteins have in cells include major life-sustaining processes, making them major drug targets. The respiratory chain comprises a series of complexes of membrane proteins residing in the inner mitochondrial membrane, which serve as major drivers of ATP synthesis. Assembly of the respiratory chain complexes (RCC) requires coordinated synthesis of nuclear and mitochondrial subunits. Cbp3-Cbp6 complex binds to the mitoribosome as translational activator for cytochrome b synthesis and binds the nascent polypeptide to facilitate its hemylation. Cbp3 consists of an N-terminal domain specific to mitochondrial homologues and a conserved C-terminal ubiquinol-cytochrome c chaperone domain. In this thesis I present the first crystal structure of the C-terminal domain from a bacterial homologue that has enabled us to identify the interaction sites of yeast Cbp3 with Cbp6 and cytochrome b using site-specific photo-crosslinking. Our finding suggests that Cbp3 contacts the mitoribosome via the N-terminal domain in a manner that positions the substrate binding site close to the tunnel exit. In the second project, we have analyzed the effects of disease causing cytochrome b mutations, on bc1 complex assembly. We found that complex III assembly is blocked at either intermediate 0 or I due to impaired insertion of bL or bH heme respectively, which indicates that assembly processes are involved in disease development. We then focused on NADH; a product of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDH) catalyzed citric acid cycle reaction and one of the substrates that supply electron to the respiratory chain. Kgd4 is a novel subunit of this enzyme complex and two functional variants (Kgd4S and Kgd4L) of unknown origins exist in yeast. We report in our work that Kgd4L originates from a UUG alternative start site, 90 nucleotides upstream and in frame of the annotated start codon. The sequence context upstream of UUG determines the efficiency of recognition of this alternative start codon. Finally, Na+/H+ antiporters are present in all species and are involved in regulation of intracellular pH, cell volume and sodium concentration. ATP formed during oxidative phosphorylation serves as energy source for Na+/K+ ATPase to generate Na+ gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane, which drives local Na+/H+ antiporters. We show that K305 is involved in proton transport and responsible for the electrogenicity of NapA, while human NHA2 shows electroneutral antiporter activity.At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 2: Manuscript.</p

Dissecting the proton transport pathway in electrogenic Na + /H + antiporters

Sodium/proton exchangers of the SLC9 family mediate the transport of protons in exchange for sodium to help regulate intracellular pH, sodium levels, and cell volume. In electrogenic Na(+)/H(+) antiporters, it has been assumed that two ion-binding aspartate residues transport the two protons that are later exchanged for one sodium ion. However, here we show that we can switch the antiport activity of the bacterial Na(+)/H(+) antiporter NapA from being electrogenic to electroneutral by the mutation of a single lysine residue (K305). Electroneutral lysine mutants show similar ion affinities when driven by [Formula: see text] pH, but no longer respond to either an electrochemical potential ([Formula: see text]) or could generate one when driven by ion gradients. We further show that the exchange activity of the human Na(+)/H(+) exchanger NHA2 (SLC9B2) is electroneutral, despite harboring the two conserved aspartic acid residues found in NapA and other bacterial homologues. Consistently, the equivalent residue to K305 in human NHA2 has been replaced with arginine, which is a mutation that makes NapA electroneutral. We conclude that a transmembrane embedded lysine residue is essential for electrogenic transport in Na(+)/H(+) antiporters

Enhanced mitochondrial G-quadruplex formation impedes replication fork progression leading to mtDNA loss in human cells

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication stalling is considered an initial step in the formation of mtDNA deletions that associate with genetic inherited disorders and aging. However, the molecular details of how stalled replication forks lead to mtDNA deletions accumulation are still unclear. Mitochondrial DNA deletion breakpoints preferentially occur at sequence motifs predicted to form G-quadruplexes (G4s), four-stranded nucleic acid structures that can fold in guanine-rich regions. Whether mtDNA G4s form in vivo and their potential implication for mtDNA instability is still under debate. In here, we developed new tools to map G4s in the mtDNA of living cells. We engineered a G4-binding protein targeted to the mitochondrial matrix of a human cell line and established the mtG4-ChIP method, enabling the determination of mtDNA G4s under different cellular conditions. Our results are indicative of transient mtDNA G4 formation in human cells. We demonstrate that mtDNA-specific replication stalling increases formation of G4s, particularly in the major arc. Moreover, elevated levels of G4 block the progression of the mtDNA replication fork and cause mtDNA loss. We conclude that stalling of the mtDNA replisome enhances mtDNA G4 occurrence, and that G4s not resolved in a timely manner can have a negative impact on mtDNA integrity