Publications by authors named "Teresa A Giancaspero"

FAD synthase is the last enzyme in the pathway that converts riboflavin into FAD. In , the gene encoding for FAD synthase is , from which a sole protein product (Fad1p) is expected to be generated. In this work, we showed that a natural Fad1p exists in yeast mitochondria and that, in its recombinant form, the protein is able, per se, to both enter mitochondria and to be destined to cytosol.

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Recent studies elucidated how riboflavin transporters and FAD forming enzymes work in humans and create a coordinated flavin network ensuring the maintenance of cellular flavoproteome. Alteration of this network may be causative of severe metabolic disorders such as multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) or Brown-Vialetto-van Laere syndrome. A crucial step in the maintenance of FAD homeostasis is riboflavin uptake by plasma and mitochondrial membranes.

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Multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiencies (MADDs) are a heterogeneous group of metabolic disorders with combined respiratory-chain deficiency and a neuromuscular phenotype. Despite recent advances in understanding the genetic basis of MADD, a number of cases remain unexplained. Here, we report clinically relevant variants in FLAD1, which encodes FAD synthase (FADS), as the cause of MADD and respiratory-chain dysfunction in nine individuals recruited from metabolic centers in six countries.

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The primary role of the water-soluble vitamin B2 (riboflavin) in cell biology is connected with its conversion into FMN and FAD, the cofactors of a large number of dehydrogenases, oxidases and reductases involved in a broad spectrum of biological activities, among which energetic metabolism and chromatin remodeling. Subcellular localisation of FAD synthase (EC 2.7.

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This paper deals with the control exerted by the mitochondrial translocator FLX1, which catalyzes the movement of the redox cofactor FAD across the mitochondrial membrane, on the efficiency of ATP production, ROS homeostasis, and lifespan of S. cerevisiae. The deletion of the FLX1 gene resulted in respiration-deficient and small-colony phenotype accompanied by a significant ATP shortage and ROS unbalance in glycerol-grown cells.

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Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) are two redox cofactors of pivotal importance for mitochondrial functionality and cellular redox balance. Despite their relevance, the mechanism by which intramitochondrial NAD(H) and FAD levels are maintained remains quite unclear in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We investigated here the ability of isolated mitochondria to degrade externally added FAD and NAD (in both its reduced and oxidized forms).

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FAD is a redox cofactor ensuring the activity of many flavoenzymes mainly located in mitochondria but also relevant for nuclear redox activities. The last enzyme in the metabolic pathway producing FAD is FAD synthase (EC 2.7.

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The primary role of the water-soluble vitamin B2, i.e. riboflavin, in cell biology is connected with its conversion into FMN and FAD, the cofactors of a large number of dehydrogenases, reductases and oxidases involved in energetic metabolism, redox homeostasis and protein folding as well as in diverse regulatory events.

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Background: FAD synthase is a ubiquitous enzyme that catalyses the last step of FAD biosynthesis, allowing for the biogenesis of several flavoproteins. In humans different isoforms are generated by alternative splicing, isoform 1 being localized in mitochondria. Homology searching in Caenorabditis elegans leads to the identification of two human FAD synthase homologues, coded by the single copy gene R53.

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A soluble form of human FAD synthase (isoform 2; hFADS2) was produced and purified to homogeneity as a recombinant His-tagged protein. The enzyme binds 1 mole of the FAD product very tightly, although noncovalently. Complete release of FAD from the 'as isolated' protein requires extensive denaturation.

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Intact mitochondria isolated from Nicotiana tabacum cv. Bright Yellow 2 (TBY-2) cells can take up riboflavin via carrier-mediated systems that operate at different concentration ranges and have different uptake efficiencies. Once inside mitochondria, riboflavin is converted into catalytically active cofactors, FMN and FAD, due to the existence of a mitochondrial riboflavin kinase (EC 2.

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The mitochondrial FAD transporter, Flx1p, is a member of the mitochondrial carrier family responsible for FAD transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It has also been suggested that it has a role in maintaining the normal activity of mitochondrial FAD-binding enzymes, including lipoamide dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase flavoprotein subunit Sdh1p. A decrease in the amount of Sdh1p in the flx1Delta mutant strain has been determined here to be due to a post-transcriptional control that involves regulatory sequences located upstream of the SDH1 coding sequence.

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We described here the construction of two novel Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains in which the regulatory region of the SDH1 gene, coding for the succinate dehydrogenase flavoprotein subunit, was fused in frame to the reporter gene lacZ of E. coli, coding for beta-galactosidase. By this approach, SDH1 expression was studied in the yeast strain, flx1 delta-lacZ, lacking of a functional mitochondrial FAD translocator, Flx1p.

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In this case report we studied alterations in mitochondrial proteins in a patient suffering from recurrent profound muscle weakness, associated with ethylmalonic-adipic aciduria, who had benefited from high dose of riboflavin treatment. Morphological and biochemical alterations included muscle lipid accumulation, low muscle carnitine content, reduction in fatty acid beta-oxidation and reduced activity of complexes I and II of the respiratory chain. Riboflavin therapy partially or totally reversed these symptoms and increased the level of muscle flavin adenine dinucleotide, suggesting that aberrant flavin cofactor metabolism accounted for the disease.

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We have studied the functional steps by which Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondria can synthesize FAD from cytosolic riboflavin (Rf). Riboflavin uptake into mitochondria took place via a mechanism that is consistent with the existence of (at least two) carrier systems. FAD was synthesized inside mitochondria by a mitochondrial FAD synthetase (EC 2.

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