Mitochondrial heat shock protein 70, a molecular chaperone for proteins encoded by mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial heat shock protein 70 (mt-Hsp70) has been shown to play an important role in facilitating import into, as well as folding and assembly of nuclear-encoded proteins in the mitochondrial matrix. Here, we describe a role for mt-Hsp70 in chaperoning proteins encoded by mitochondrial DNA and synthesized within mitochondria. The availability of mt-Hsp70 function influences the pattern of proteins synthesized in mitochondria of yeast both in vivo and in vitro. In particular, we show that mt-Hsp70 acts in maintaining the var1 protein, the only mitochondrially encoded subunit of mitochondrial ribosomes, in an assembly competent state, especially under heat stress conditions. Furthermore, mt-Hsp70 helps to facilitate assembly of mitochondrially encoded subunits of the ATP synthase complex. By interacting with the ATP-ase 9 oligomer, mt-Hsp70 promotes assembly of ATP-ase 6, and thereby protects the latter protein from proteolytic degradation. Thus mt-Hsp70 by acting as a chaperone for proteins encoded by the mitochondrial DNA, has a critical role in the assembly of supra- molecular complexes

Catch me if you can! Oxidative protein trapping in the intermembrane space of mitochondria

The intermembrane space (IMS) of mitochondria, the compartment that phylogenetically originated from the periplasm of bacteria, contains machinery to catalyze the oxidative folding of proteins (Mesecke, N., N. Terziyska, C. Kozany, F. Baumann, W. Neupert, K. Hell, and J.M. Herrmann. 2005. Cell. 121:1059–1069; Rissler, M., N. Wiedemann, S. Pfannschmidt, K. Gabriel, B. Guiard, N. Pfanner, and A. Chacinska. 2005. J. Mol. Biol. 353: 485–492; Tokatlidis, K. 2005. Cell. 121:965–96). This machinery introduces disulfide bonds into newly imported precursor proteins, thereby locking them in a folded conformation. Because folded proteins cannot traverse the translocase of the outer membrane, this stably traps the proteins in the mitochondria. The principle of protein oxidation in the IMS presumably has been conserved from the bacterial periplasm and has been adapted during evolution to drive the vectorial translocation of proteins from the cytosol into the mitochondria

Evolution of YidC/Oxa1/Alb3 insertases: three independent gene duplications followed by functional specialization in bacteria, mitochondria and chloroplasts

Members of the YidC/Oxa1/Alb3 protein family facilitate the insertion, folding and assembly of proteins of the inner membranes of bacteria and mitochondria and the thylakoid membrane of plastids. All homologs share a conserved hydrophobic core region comprising five transmembrane domains. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses, six subgroups of the family can be distinguished which presumably arose from three independent gene duplications followed by functional specialization. During evolution of bacteria, mitochondria and chloroplasts, subgroup-specific regions were added to the core domain to facilitate the association with ribosomes or other components contributing to the substrate spectrum of YidC/Oxa1/Alb3 proteins

A looking-out portal (LOP) approach to enhance qualitative aspects of bandwidth utilisation in academic networks

Campuses of educational institutions periodically need to increase network bandwidth to keep up with increased demand and this decision is based on the quantitative aspects of the network bandwidth utilisation. The qualitative utilisation of the bandwidth is seldom looked into. Improving the qualitative utilisation of the bandwidth may not even necessitate a network upgrade. Although blacklist-based access control techniques help to a certain degree, the findings of this research indicate otherwise. A multi-tier, whitelist-based, looking-out portal (LOP) approach is presented that promises to improve the qualitative utilisation of the network while positively impacting pertinent resource identification and location of sources on the internet. The authors draw on their years of experience serving as students and staff in various campuses of universities and colleges in various countries while making recommendations

Control of protein synthesis in yeast mitochondria: The concept of translational activators

AbstractMitochondria contain their own genome which codes for a small number of proteins. Most mitochondrial translation products are part of the membrane-embedded reaction centers of the respiratory chain complexes. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the expression of these proteins is regulated by translational activators that bind mitochondrial mRNAs, in most cases to their 5′-untranslated regions, and each mitochondrial mRNA appears to have its own translational activator(s). Recent studies showed that these translational activators can be part of feedback control loops which only permit translation if the downstream assembly of nascent translation products can occur. In several cases, the accumulation of a non-assembled protein prevents further synthesis of this protein but not translation in general. These control loops prevent the synthesis of potentially harmful assembly intermediates of the reaction centers of mitochondrial enzymes. Since such regulatory feedback loops only work if translation occurs in the compartment in which the complexes of the respiratory chain are assembled, these control mechanisms require the presence of a translation machinery in mitochondria. This might explain why eukaryotic cells maintained DNA in mitochondria during the last two billion years of evolution. This review gives an overview of the mitochondrial translation system and summarizes the current knowledge on translational activators and their role in the regulation of mitochondrial protein synthesis. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein import and quality control in mitochondria and plastids

Computing performability for wireless sensor networks

The performability of a wireless sensor network (WSN) can be measured using a range of metrics, including reliability (REL) and expected hop count (EHC). EHC assumes each link has a delay value of 1 and devices have no delay or vice versa, which is not necessarily appropriate for WSNs. This paper generalizes the EHC metric into an expected message delay (EMD) that permits arbitrary delay values for both links and devices. Further, it proposes a method based on Augmented Ordered Multivariate Decision Diagram (OMDD-A) that can be used to compute REL, EHC and EMD for WSN with both device and link failures. Simulation results on various networks show the benefits of the OMDD-A approach

Quality and validity of large animal experiments in stroke : a systematic review

An important factor for successful translational stroke research is study quality. Low-quality studies are at risk of biased results and effect overestimation, as has been intensely discussed for small animal stroke research. However, little is known about the methodological rigor and quality in large animal stroke models, which are becoming more frequently used in the field. Based on research in two databases, this systematic review surveys and analyses the methodological quality in large animal stroke research. Quality analysis was based on the Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable and the Animals in Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments guidelines. Our analysis revealed that large animal models are utilized with similar shortcomings as small animal models. Moreover, translational benefits of large animal models may be limited due to lacking implementation of important quality criteria such as randomization, allocation concealment, and blinded assessment of outcome. On the other hand, an increase of study quality over time and a positive correlation between study quality and journal impact factor were identified. Based on the obtained findings, we derive recommendations for optimal study planning, conducting, and data analysis/reporting when using large animal stroke models to fully benefit from the translational advantages offered by these models

Two-dimensional blue native/blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for the characterization of mitochondrial protein complexes and supercomplexes.

Blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE) employs the dye Coomassie for the labeling of proteins and protein complexes under native conditions. Electrophoresis under native conditions subsequently allows resolution of proteins and protein complexes according to their molecular mass. BN-PAGE can be combined with second gel dimensions. Best known is the two-dimensional (2D)-BN/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-PAGE system, which allows resolution of subunits of protein complexes. A 2D-BN/BN-PAGE system was developed that proved useful for investigating the substructure of protein complexes and protein supercomplexes. The basis of this 2D system is a variation of the conditions used for the two BN gel dimensions. Here, we present a basic protocol for the analysis of mitochondrial fractions by 2D-BN/BN-PAGE. Because both el dimensions are carried out under native conditions, the 2D-BN/BN system is compatible with in-gel enzyme activity staining

The Disulfide Relay of the Intermembrane Space Oxidizes the Ribosomal Subunit Mrp10 on Its Transit into the Mitochondrial Matrix

SummaryMost mitochondrial proteins are synthesized in the cytosol and directed into the organelle; matrix proteins contain presequences that guide them through translocases in contact sites of the outer and inner membrane. In contrast, the import of many intermembrane space proteins depends on cysteine residues and the oxidoreductase Mia40. Here, we show that both import machineries can cooperate in the biogenesis of matrix proteins. Mrp10, a conserved protein of the mitochondrial ribosome, interacts with Mia40 during passage into the matrix. Mrp10 contains an unconventional proline-rich matrix-targeting sequence that renders import intermediates accessible to Mia40. Although oxidation of Mrp10 is not essential for its function in mitochondrial translation, the disulfide bonds prevent proteolytic degradation of Mrp10 and thereby counteract instability of the mitochondrial genome. The unconventional import pathway of Mrp10 is presumably part of a quality-control circle that connects mitochondrial ribosome biogenesis to the functionality of the mitochondrial disulfide relay