p166 links membrane and intramitochondrial modules of the trypanosomal tripartite attachment complex

Molecular characterization of the permanent outer-inner membrane contact site of the mitochondrial genome segregation complex in trypanosomes

The parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei has a single unit mitochondrial genome linked to the basal body of the flagellum via the tripartite attachment complex (TAC). The TAC is crucial for mitochondrial genome segregation during cytokinesis. At the core of the TAC, the outer membrane protein TAC60 binds to the inner membrane protein p166, forming a permanent contact site between the two membranes. Although contact sites between mitochondrial membranes are common and serve various functions, their molecular architecture remains largely unknown. This study elucidates the interaction interface of the TAC60-p166 contact site. Using in silico, in vitro, and mutational in vivo analyses, we identified minimal binding segments between TAC60 and p166. The p166 binding site in TAC60 consists of a short kinked α-helix that interacts with the C-terminal α-helix of p166. Despite the presence of conserved charged residues in either protein, electrostatic interactions are not necessary for contact site formation. Instead, the TAC60-p166 interaction is driven by the hydrophobic effect, as converting conserved hydrophobic residues in either protein to hydrophilic amino acids disrupts the contact site.

A novel nabelschnur protein regulates segregation of the kinetoplast DNA in Trypanosoma brucei

The acquisition of mitochondria was imperative for initiating eukaryogenesis and thus is a characteristic feature of eukaryotic cells.1,2 The parasitic protist Trypanosoma brucei contains a singular mitochondrion with a unique mitochondrial genome, termed the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA).3 Replication of the kDNA occurs during the G1 phase of the cell cycle, prior to the start of nuclear DNA replication.4 Although numerous proteins have been functionally characterized and identified as vital components of kDNA replication and division, the molecular mechanisms governing this highly precise process remain largely unknown.5,6 One division-related and morphologically characteristic structure that remains most enigmatic is the "nabelschnur," an undefined, filament-resembling structure observed by electron microscopy between segregating daughter kDNA networks.7,8,9 To date, only one protein, TbLAP1, an M17 family leucyl aminopeptidase metalloprotease, is known to localize to the nabelschnur.9 While screening proteins from the T. brucei MitoTag project,10 we identified a previously uncharacterized protein with an mNeonGreen signal localizing to the kDNA as well as forming a point of connection between dividing kDNAs. Here, we demonstrate that this kDNA-associated protein, named TbNAB70, indeed localizes to the nabelschnur and plays an essential role in the segregation of newly replicated kDNAs and subsequent cytokinesis in T. brucei.

Pam16 and Pam18 were repurposed during Trypanosoma brucei evolution to regulate the replication of mitochondrial DNA

Protein import and genome replication are essential processes for mitochondrial biogenesis and propagation. The J-domain proteins Pam16 and Pam18 regulate the presequence translocase of the mitochondrial inner membrane. In the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, their counterparts are TbPam16 and TbPam18, which are essential for the procyclic form (PCF) of the parasite, though not involved in mitochondrial protein import. Here, we show that during evolution, the 2 proteins have been repurposed to regulate the replication of maxicircles within the intricate kDNA network, the most complex mitochondrial genome known. TbPam18 and TbPam16 have inactive J-domains suggesting a function independent of heat shock proteins. However, their single transmembrane domain is essential for function. Pulldown of TbPam16 identifies a putative client protein, termed MaRF11, the depletion of which causes the selective loss of maxicircles, akin to the effects observed for TbPam18 and TbPam16. Moreover, depletion of the mitochondrial proteasome results in increased levels of MaRF11. Thus, we have discovered a protein complex comprising TbPam18, TbPam16, and MaRF11, that controls maxicircle replication. We propose a working model in which the matrix protein MaRF11 functions downstream of the 2 integral inner membrane proteins TbPam18 and TbPam16. Moreover, we suggest that the levels of MaRF11 are controlled by the mitochondrial proteasome.

DNA segregation in mitochondria and beyond: insights from the trypanosomal tripartite attachment complex

The tripartite attachment complex (TAC) of the single mitochondrion of trypanosomes allows precise segregation of its single nucleoid mitochondrial genome during cytokinesis. It couples the segregation of the duplicated mitochondrial genome to the segregation of the basal bodies of the flagella. Here, we provide a model of the molecular architecture of the TAC that explains how its eight essential subunits connect the basal body, across the mitochondrial membranes, with the mitochondrial genome. We also discuss how the TAC subunits are imported into the mitochondrion and how they assemble to form a new TAC. Finally, we present a comparative analysis of the trypanosomal TAC with open and closed mitotic spindles, which reveals conserved concepts between these diverse DNA segregation systems.

Single p197 molecules of the mitochondrial genome segregation system of Trypanosoma brucei determine the distance between basal body and outer membrane

Segregation of the replicated single unit mitochondrial genome of Trypanosoma brucei requires a large hardwired structure that connects the organellar DNA with the flagellar basal body. The cytosolic part of this structure consists of filaments made of p197 molecules, a protein with a molecular weight of approximately 660 kDa. The N terminus of p197 is anchored to the peripheral mitochondrial outer membrane protein TAC65, whereas its C terminus connects to the base of the basal body. The large α-helical central domain of p197 consists of approximately 26 repeats each 175 aa in length. It provides a flexible spacer that connects the outer membrane with the basal body and determines the distance between the two structures.

The tripartite attachment complex (TAC) couples the segregation of the single unit mitochondrial DNA of trypanosomes with the basal body (BB) of the flagellum. Here, we studied the architecture of the exclusion zone filament (EZF) of the TAC, the only known component of which is p197, that connects the BB with the mitochondrial outer membrane (OM). We show that p197 has three domains that are all essential for mitochondrial DNA inheritance. The C terminus of p197 interacts with the mature and probasal body (pro-BB), whereas its N terminus binds to the peripheral OM protein TAC65. The large central region of p197 has a high α-helical content and likely acts as a flexible spacer. Ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM) of cell lines exclusively expressing p197 versions of different lengths that contain both N- and C-terminal epitope tags demonstrates that full-length p197 alone can bridge the ∼270-nm distance between the BB and the cytosolic face of the OM. Thus U-ExM allows the localization of distinct domains within the same molecules and suggests that p197 is the TAC subunit most proximal to the BB. In addition, U-ExM revealed that p197 acts as a spacer molecule, as two shorter versions of p197, with the repeat domain either removed or replaced by the central domain of the Trypanosoma cruzi p197 ortholog reduced the distance between the BB and the OM in proportion to their predicted molecular weight.