Characterization of Single Gene Deletion Mutants Affecting Alternative Oxidase Production in : Role of the Gene.

The AOD1 protein is a mitochondrial alternative oxidase that passes electrons directly from ubiquinol to oxygen. The enzyme is encoded by the nuclear gene and is produced when the standard electron transport chain is inhibited. We previously identified eleven strains in the single gene deletion library that were severely deficient in their ability to produce AOD1 when grown in the presence of chloramphenicol, an inhibitor of mitochondrial translation that is known to induce the enzyme.

Involvement of a G Protein Regulatory Circuit in Alternative Oxidase Production in .

The nuclear gene encodes an alternative oxidase that functions in mitochondria. The enzyme provides a branch from the standard electron transport chain by transferring electrons directly from ubiquinol to oxygen. In standard laboratory strains, is transcribed at very low levels under normal growth conditions.

The amnestic agent anisomycin disrupts intrinsic membrane properties of hippocampal neurons via a loss of cellular energetics.

The nearly axiomatic idea that de novo protein synthesis is necessary for long-term memory consolidation is based heavily on behavioral studies using translational inhibitors such as anisomycin. Although inhibiting protein synthesis has been shown to disrupt the expression of memory, translational inhibitors also have been found to profoundly disrupt basic neurobiological functions, including the suppression of ongoing neural activity in vivo. In the present study, using transverse hippocampal brain slices, we monitored the passive and active membrane properties of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons using intracellular whole cell recordings during a brief ~30-min exposure to fast-bath-perfused anisomycin.

Alternative Oxidase Transcription Factors AOD2 and AOD5 of Control the Expression of Genes Involved in Energy Production and Metabolism.

In , blocking the function of the standard mitochondrial electron transport chain results in the induction of an alternative oxidase (AOX). AOX transfers electrons directly from ubiquinol to molecular oxygen. AOX serves as a model of retrograde regulation since it is encoded by a nuclear gene that is regulated in response to signals from mitochondria.

Evidence supporting the 19 β-strand model for Tom40 from cysteine scanning and protease site accessibility studies.

Most proteins found in mitochondria are translated in the cytosol and enter the organelle via the TOM complex (translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane). Tom40 is the pore forming component of the complex. Although the three-dimensional structure of Tom40 has not been determined, the structure of porin, a related protein, has been shown to be a β-barrel containing 19 membrane spanning β-strands and an N-terminal α-helical region.