Subunits of the yeast mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier: cooperation within the dimer

Emerging Roles in the Biogenesis of Cytochrome c Oxidase for Members of the Mitochondrial Carrier Family

The mitochondrial carrier family (MCF) is a group of transport proteins that are mostly localized to the inner mitochondrial membrane where they facilitate the movement of various solutes across the membrane. Although these carriers represent potential targets for therapeutic application and are repeatedly associated with human disease, research on the MCF has not progressed commensurate to their physiologic and pathophysiologic importance. Many of the 53 MCF members in humans are orphans and lack known transport substrates. Even for the relatively well-studied members of this family, such as the ADP/ATP carrier and the uncoupling protein, there exist fundamental gaps in our understanding of their biological roles including a clear rationale for the existence of multiple isoforms. Here, we briefly review this important family of mitochondrial carriers, provide a few salient examples of their diverse metabolic roles and disease associations, and then focus on an emerging link between several distinct MCF members, including the ADP/ATP carrier, and cytochrome c oxidase biogenesis. As the ADP/ATP carrier is regarded as the paradigm of the entire MCF, its newly established role in regulating translation of the mitochondrial genome highlights that we still have a lot to learn about these metabolite transporters.

VDAC regulates AAC-mediated apoptosis and cytochrome c release in yeast

Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization is a key event in apoptosis processes leading to the release of lethal factors. We have previously shown that absence of the ADP/ATP carrier (AAC) proteins (yeast orthologues of mammalian ANT proteins) increased the resistance of yeast cells to acetic acid, preventing MOMP and the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria during acetic acid - induced apoptosis. On the other hand, deletion of POR1 (yeast voltage-dependent anion channel - VDAC) increased the sensitivity of yeast cells to acetic acid. In the present work, we aimed to further characterize the role of yeast VDAC in acetic acid - induced apoptosis and assess if it functionally interacts with AAC proteins. We found that the sensitivity to acetic acid resulting from POR1 deletion is completely abrogated by the absence of AAC proteins, and propose that Por1p acts as a negative regulator of acetic acid - induced cell death by a mechanism dependent of AAC proteins, by acting on AAC - dependent cytochrome c release. Moreover, we show that Por1p has a role in mitochondrial fusion that, contrary to its role in apoptosis, is not affected by the absence of AAC, and demonstrate that mitochondrial network fragmentation is not sufficient to induce release of cytochrome c or sensitivity to acetic acid - induced apoptosis. This work enhances our understanding on cytochrome c release during cell death, which may be relevant in pathological scenarios where MOMP is compromised.

The transport mechanism of the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier

The mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier imports ADP from the cytosol and exports ATP from the mitochondrial matrix, which are key transport steps for oxidative phosphorylation in eukaryotic organisms. The transport protein belongs to the mitochondrial carrier family, a large transporter family in the inner membrane of mitochondria. It is one of the best studied members of the family and serves as a paradigm for the molecular mechanism of mitochondrial carriers. Structurally, the carrier consists of three homologous domains, each composed of two transmembrane α-helices linked with a loop and short α-helix on the matrix side. The transporter cycles between a cytoplasmic and matrix state in which a central substrate binding site is alternately accessible to these compartments for binding of ADP or ATP. On both the cytoplasmic and matrix side of the carrier are networks consisting of three salt bridges each. In the cytoplasmic state, the matrix salt bridge network is formed and the cytoplasmic network is disrupted, opening the central substrate binding site to the intermembrane space and cytosol, whereas the converse occurs in the matrix state. In the transport cycle, tighter substrate binding in the intermediate states allows the interconversion of conformations by lowering the energy barrier for disruption and formation of these networks, opening and closing the carrier to either side of the membrane in an alternating way. Conversion between cytoplasmic and matrix states might require the simultaneous rotation of three domains around a central translocation pathway, constituting a unique mechanism among transport proteins. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Mitochondrial Channels edited by Pierre Sonveaux, Pierre Maechler and Jean-Claude Martinou.

Mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier: preventing conformational changes by point mutations inactivates nucleotide transport activity

The mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier (Ancp) is a paradigm of the mitochondrial carrier family (MCF); its members allow metabolic fluxes between mitochondria and the cytosol. The members of the MCF share numerous structural and functional characteristics. Ancp is very specifically inhibited by two classes of compounds, which stabilize the carrier in two different conformations involved in nucleotide transport. Resolution of the atomic structure of the bovine Ancp, in complex with one of its specific inhibitors, is that of the carrier open toward the intermembrane space. To gain insights into the interconversion from one conformation to the other, we introduced point mutations in the yeast carrier at positions Cys73 in the first matrix loop and Tyr97 and Gly298 in transmembrane helices 2 and 6. We demonstrate in this paper that they impair stabilization of the carrier in one conformation or the other, resulting in an almost complete inactivation of nucleotide transport in both cases. The results are discussed on the basis of the atomic structure of the conformation open to the cytosol. These mutant proteins could afford convenient tools for undertaking structural studies of both conformations of the yeast carrier.

Native membrane proteins vs. yeast recombinant: an example: the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier

The mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier (Ancp) has long been a paradigm for studies of the mitochondrial carrier family due to, among other properties, its natural abundance and the existence of specific inhibitors, namely, carboxyatractyloside (CATR) and bongkrekic acid (BA), which lock the carrier under distinct and stable conformations. Bovine Anc1p isolated in complex with CATR in the presence of an aminoxyde detergent (LAPAO) was crystallized and its 3D structure determined. It is the first mitochondrial carrier structure resolved at high resolution (2.2 A, as reported by Pebay-Peyroula et al. (Nature 426:39-44, 2003)). Analyses revealed a monomer while most of the biochemical studies led to hypothesize Ancp functions as a dimer. To address the structural organization issue, we engineered a mutant of the yeast Ancp that corresponds to a covalent homodimer in view of 3D structure determination. We compare in this chapter the purification yield and quality of the chimera tagged either with six histidines at its C-ter end or nine histidines at its N-ter. We show that, as expected, length and position of the tag are important criteria for qualitative purification. We also discuss the advantages and drawbacks of purifying Ancp either from a natural source or from engineered yeast cells.

Mitochondrial carriers function as monomers

Mitochondrial carriers link biochemical pathways in the mitochondrial matrix and cytosol by transporting metabolites, inorganic ions, nucleotides and cofactors across the mitochondrial inner membrane. Uncoupling proteins that dissipate the proton electrochemical gradient also belong to this protein family. For almost 35 years the general consensus has been that mitochondrial carriers are dimeric in structure and function. This view was based on data from inhibitor binding studies, small-angle neutron scattering, electron microscopy, differential tagging/affinity chromatography, size-exclusion chromatography, analytical ultracentrifugation, native gel electrophoresis, cross-linking experiments, tandem-fusions, negative dominance studies and mutagenesis. However, the structural folds of the ADP/ATP carriers were found to be monomeric, lacking obvious dimerisation interfaces. Subsequently, the yeast ADP/ATP carrier was demonstrated to function as a monomer. Here, we revisit the data that have been published in support of a dimeric state of mitochondrial carriers. Our analysis shows that when critical factors are taken into account, the monomer is the only plausible functional form of mitochondrial carriers. We propose a transport model based on the monomer, in which access to a single substrate binding site is controlled by two flanking salt bridge networks, explaining uniport and strict exchange of substrates.

Mitochondrial degradation in acetic acid-induced yeast apoptosis: the role of Pep4 and the ADP/ATP carrier

We have previously shown that acetic acid activates a mitochondria-dependent death process in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and that the ADP/ATP carrier (AAC) is required for mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization and cytochrome c release. Mitochondrial fragmentation and degradation have also been shown in response to this death stimulus. Herein, we show that autophagy is not active in cells undergoing acetic acid-induced apoptosis and is therefore not responsible for mitochondrial degradation. Furthermore, we found that the vacuolar protease Pep4p and the AAC proteins have a role in mitochondrial degradation using yeast genetic approaches. Depletion and overexpression of Pep4p, an orthologue of human cathepsin D, delays and enhances mitochondrial degradation respectively. Moreover, Pep4p is released from the vacuole into the cytosol in response to acetic acid treatment. AAC-deleted cells also show a decrease in mitochondrial degradation in response to acetic acid and are not defective in Pep4p release. Therefore, AAC proteins seem to affect mitochondrial degradation at a step subsequent to Pep4p release, possibly triggering degradation through their involvement in mitochondrial permeabilization. The finding that both mitochondrial AAC proteins and the vacuolar Pep4p interfere with mitochondrial degradation suggests a complex regulation and interplay between mitochondria and the vacuole in yeast programmed cell death.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the phosphate carrier is a component of the mitochondrial unselective channel

The mitochondrial permeability transition (PT) involves the opening of a mitochondrial unselective channel (MUC) resulting in membrane depolarization and increased permeability to ions. PT has been observed in many, but not all eukaryotic species. In some species, PT has been linked to cell death, although other functions, such as matrix ion detoxification or regulation of the rate of oxygen consumption have been considered. The identification of the proteins constituting MUC would help understand the biochemistry and physiology of this channel. It has been suggested that the mitochondrial phosphate carrier is a structural component of MUC and we decided to test this in yeast mitochondria. Mersalyl inhibits the phosphate carrier and it has been reported that it also triggers PT. Mersalyl induced opening of the decavanadate-sensitive Yeast Mitochondrial Unselective Channel (YMUC). In isolated yeast mitochondria from a phosphate carrier-null strain the sensitivity to both phosphate and mersalyl was lost, although the permeability transition was still evoked by ATP in a decavanadate-sensitive fashion. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced mitochondrial contraction results indicated that in mitochondria lacking the phosphate carrier the YMUC is smaller: complete contraction for mitochondria from the wild type and the mutant strains was achieved with 1.45 and 1.1 kDa PEGs, respectively. Also, as expected for a smaller channel titration with 1.1 kDa PEG evidenced a higher sensitivity in mitochondria from the mutant strain. The above data suggest that the phosphate carrier is the phosphate sensor in YMUC and contributes to the structure of this channel.

Cardiolipin, a critical determinant of mitochondrial carrier protein assembly and function

The ability of phospholipids to act as determinants of membrane protein structure and function is probably best exemplified by cardiolipin (CL), the signature phospholipid of mitochondria. Early efforts to reconstitute individual respiratory complexes and members of the mitochondrial carrier family, most notably the ADP/ATP carrier (AAC), often demonstrated the importance of CL. Over the past decade, the significance of CL in the organization of components of the electron transport chain into higher order assemblies, termed respiratory supercomplexes, has been established. Another protein required for oxidative phosphorylation, AAC, has received comparatively little attention likely stemming from the fact that AACs were thought to function in isolation as either homodimers or monomers. Recently however, AACs have been demonstrated to interact with the respiratory supercomplex, other members of the mitochondrial carrier family, and the TIM23 translocon. Interestingly, many if not all of these interactions depend on CL. As the paradigm for the mitochondrial carrier family, these discoveries with AAC suggest that other members of this large group of important proteins may be more gregarious than anticipated. Moreover, it is proposed that AAC and perhaps additional members of the mitochondrial carrier family might represent downstream targets of pathological states involving alterations in CL.

Two residues of a conserved aromatic ladder of the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier are crucial to nucleotide transport

The mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier is the paradigm of the mitochondrial carrier family (MCF), whose members are crucial for cross-talks between mitochondria, where cell energy is mainly produced, and the cytosol, where cell energy is mainly consumed. These carriers share structural and functional characteristics. Resolution of the 3D structure of the beef mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier, in a complex with one of its specific inhibitors, revealed interesting features and suggested the involvement of some particular residues in substrate binding and transfer from the outside to the inside of mitochondria. To ascertain the role of these residues, namely, Y186, Y190, F191, and Y194, they were mutated into alanine in the yeast mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier at equivalent positions (Y203, Y207, F208, and Y211). Two residues, Y203 and F208, appeared to be crucial for transport activity but not for substrate binding per se, indicating their involvement in the substrate transfer process through the carrier. Furthermore, it was possible to show that these mutations precluded conformational changes of the matrix loop m2, whose movements were demonstrated to participate in substrate transport by the wild-type carrier. Therefore, these aromatic residues may be involved in substrate gliding, and they may also confer specificity toward adenine nucleotides for the ADP/ATP carrier as compared with the MCF members.

The mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier: functional and structural studies in the route of elucidating pathophysiological aspects

The mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier plays a central role in aerobic cell energetics by providing to the cytosol the ATP generated by oxidative phosphorylation. Though discovered around 40 years ago owing to the existence of unique inhibitors and in spite of numerous experimental approaches, this carrier, which stands as a model of the mitochondrial solute carriers keeps some long-standing mystery. There are still open challenging questions among them the precise ADP/ATP transport mechanism, the functional oligomeric state of the carrier and relationships between human ADP/ATP carrier dysfunctioning and pathologies. Deciphering the 3D structure of this carrier afforded a considerable progress of the knowledge but requires now additional data focused on molecular dynamics from this static picture. State of the art in this topic is reviewed and debated in this paper in view of better comprehending origin of the discrepancies in these questions and, finally, the multiple physiological roles of this carrier in eukaryotic cell economy.

ADP/ATP carrier is required for mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization and cytochrome c release in yeast apoptosis

Adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) is a mitochondrial inner membrane protein involved in the ADP/ATP exchange and is a component of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP). In mammalian apoptosis, the PTP can mediate mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), which is suspected to be responsible for the release of apoptogenic factors, including cytochrome c. Although release of cytochrome c in yeast apoptosis has previously been reported, it is not known how it occurs. Herein we used yeast genetics to investigate whether depletion of proteins putatively involved in MOMP and cytochrome c release affects these processes in yeast. While deletion of POR1 (yeast voltage-dependent anion channel) enhances apoptosis triggered by acetic acid, H(2)O(2) and diamide, CPR3 (mitochondrial cyclophilin) deletion had no effect. Absence of ADP/ATP carrier (AAC) proteins, yeast orthologues of ANT, protects cells exposed to acetic acid and diamide but not to H(2)O(2). Expression of a mutated form of Aac2p (op1) exhibiting very low ADP/ATP translocase activity indicates that AAC's pro-death role does not require translocase activity. Absence of AAC proteins impairs MOMP and release of cytochrome c, which, together with other mitochondrial inner membrane proteins, is degraded. Our findings point to a crucial role of AAC in yeast apoptosis.

The yeast mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier functions as a monomer in mitochondrial membranes

Mitochondrial carriers are believed widely to be dimers both in structure and function. However, the structural fold is a barrel of six transmembrane alpha-helices without an obvious dimerisation interface. Here, we show by negative dominance studies that the yeast mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier 2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (AAC2) is functional as a monomer in the mitochondrial membrane. Adenine nucleotide transport by wild-type AAC2 is inhibited by the sulfhydryl reagent 2-sulfonatoethyl-methanethiosulfonate (MTSES), whereas the activity of a mutant AAC2, devoid of cysteines, is unaffected. Wild-type and cysteine-less AAC2 were coexpressed in different molar ratios in yeast mitochondrial membranes. After addition of MTSES the residual transport activity correlated linearly with the fraction of cysteine-less carrier present in the membranes, and so the two versions functioned independently of each other. Also, the cysteine-less and wild-type carriers were purified separately, mixed in defined ratios and reconstituted into liposomes. Again, the residual transport activity in the presence of MTSES depended linearly on the amount of cysteine-less carrier. Thus, the entire transport cycle for ADP/ATP exchange is carried out by the monomer.

Yeast mitochondrial ADP/ATP carriers are monomeric in detergents as demonstrated by differential affinity purification

Most mitochondrial carriers carry out equimolar exchange of substrates and they are believed widely to exist as homo-dimers. Here we show by differential tagging that the yeast mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier AAC2 is a monomer in mild detergents. Carriers with and without six-histidine or hemagglutinin tags were co-expressed in defined molar ratios in yeast mitochondrial membranes. Their specific transport activity was unaffected by tagging or by co-expression. The co-expressed carriers were extracted from the membranes with mild detergents and purified rapidly by affinity chromatography. All of the untagged carriers were in the flow-through of the affinity column, whereas all of the tagged carriers bound to the column and were eluted subsequently, showing that stable dimers, consisting of associated tagged and untagged carriers, were not present. The specific inhibitors carboxyatractyloside and bongkrekic acid and the substrates ADP, ATP and ADP plus ATP were added during the experiments to determine whether lack of association might have been caused by carriers being prevented from cycling through the various states in the transport cycle where dimers might form. All of the protein was accounted for, but stable dimers were not detected in any of these conditions, showing that yeast ADP/ATP carriers are monomeric in detergents in agreement with their hydrodynamic properties and with their structure. Since strong interactions between monomers were not observed in any part of the transport cycle, it is highly unlikely that the carriers function cooperatively. Therefore, transport mechanisms need to be considered in which the carrier is operational as a monomer.

Yeast mitochondrial ADP/ATP carriers are monomeric in detergents

Mitochondrial carriers are believed widely to be homodimers both in the inner membrane of the organelle and in detergents. The dimensions and molecular masses of the detergent and protein-detergent micelles were measured for yeast ADP/ATP carriers in a range of different detergents. The radius of the carrier at the midpoint of the membrane, its average radius, its Stokes' radius, its molecular mass, and its excluded volume were determined. These parameters are consistent with the known structural model of the bovine ADP/ATP carrier and they demonstrate that the yeast mitochondrial ADP/ATP carriers are monomeric in detergents. Therefore, models of substrate transport have to be considered in which the carrier operates as a monomer rather than as a dimer.

Molecular, functional, and pathological aspects of the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier

In providing the cell with ATP generated by oxidative phosphorylation, the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier plays a central role in aerobic eukaryotic cells. Combining biochemical, genetic, and structural approaches contributes to understanding the molecular mechanism of this essential transport system, the dysfunction of which is implicated in neuromuscular diseases.

Translocation of mitochondrial inner-membrane proteins: conformation matters

Most of the mitochondrial inner-membrane proteins are generated without a presequence and their targeting depends on inadequately defined internal segments. Despite the numerous components of the import machinery identified by proteomics, the properties of hydrophobic import substrates remain poorly understood. Recent studies support several principles for these membrane proteins: first, they become organized into partially assembled forms within the translocon; second, they present noncontiguous targeting signals; and third, they induce conformational changes in translocase subunits, thereby mediating "assembly on demand" of the import machinery. It is possible that the energy needed for these proteins to pass across the outer membrane, to travel through the intermembrane space and to target the inner-membrane surface is provided by conformational changes involving import components that seem to have natively unfolded structures. Such structural malleability might render some of the translocase subunits more adept at driving the protein import process.