Cryo-electron microscopy structure of a yeast mitochondrial preprotein translocase.

The translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane (TOM) complex is the main entry gate for proteins imported into mitochondria. We determined the structure of the native, unstained approximately 550-kDa core-Tom20 complex from Saccharomycescerevisiae by cryo-electron microscopy at 18-A resolution. The complex is triangular, measuring 145 A on edge, and has near-3-fold symmetry.

Structural and functional fingerprint of the mitochondrial ATP-binding cassette transporter Mdl1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The ATP-binding cassette half-transporter Mdl1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been proposed to be involved in the quality control of misassembled respiratory chain complexes by exporting degradation products generated by the m-AAA proteases from the matrix. Direct functional or structural data of the transport complex are, however, not known so far. After screening expression in various hosts, Mdl1 was overexpressed 100-fold to 1% of total mitochondrial membrane protein in S.

Preprotein translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane: reconstituted Tom40 forms a characteristic TOM pore.

Tom40 is the central pore-forming component of the translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane (TOM complex). Different views exist about the secondary structure and electrophysiological characteristics of Tom40 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Neurospora crassa. We have directly compared expressed and renatured Tom40 from both species and find a high content of beta-structure in circular dichroism measurements in agreement with refined secondary structure predictions.

Formation of membrane-bound ring complexes by prohibitins in mitochondria.

Prohibitins comprise a remarkably conserved protein family in eukaryotic cells with proposed functions in cell cycle progression, senescence, apoptosis, and the regulation of mitochondrial activities. Two prohibitin homologues, Phb1 and Phb2, assemble into a high molecular weight complex of approximately 1.2 MDa in the mitochondrial inner membrane, but a nuclear localization of Phb1 and Phb2 also has been reported.

Two-substrate association with the 20S proteasome at single-molecule level.

The bipartite structure of the proteasome raises the question of functional significance. A rational design for unraveling mechanistic details of the highly symmetrical degradation machinery from Thermoplasma acidophilum pursues orientated immobilization at metal-chelating interfaces via affinity tags fused either around the pore apertures or at the sides. End-on immobilization of the proteasome demonstrates that one pore is sufficient for substrate entry and product release.

Consensus structural features of purified bacterial TatABC complexes.

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system transports folded proteins across bacterial plasma membranes and the chloroplast thylakoid membrane. Here, we investigate the composition and structural organization of three different purified Tat complexes from Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. First, we demonstrate the functional activity of these Tat systems in vivo, since expression of the tatABC operons from S.

Protein insertion into the mitochondrial inner membrane by a twin-pore translocase.

The mitochondrial inner membrane imports numerous proteins that span it multiple times using the membrane potential Deltapsi as the only external energy source. We purified the protein insertion complex (TIM22 complex), a twin-pore translocase that mediated the insertion of precursor proteins in a three-step process. After the precursor is tethered to the translocase without losing energy from the Deltapsi, two energy-requiring steps were needed.

Protein translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane: role of import receptors in the structural organization of the TOM complex.

The mitochondrial outer membrane contains a multi-subunit machinery responsible for the specific recognition and translocation of precursor proteins. This translocase of the outer membrane (TOM) consists of three receptor proteins, Tom20, Tom22 and Tom70, the channel protein Tom40, and several small Tom proteins. Single-particle electron microscopy analysis of the Neurospora TOM complex has led to different views with two or three stain-filled centers resembling channels.