Structure of a mitochondrial ATP synthase with bound native cardiolipin
- Stockholm University, Sweden
Abstract
The mitochondrial ATP synthase fuels eukaryotic cells with chemical energy. Here we report the cryo-EM structure of a divergent ATP synthase dimer from mitochondria of Euglena gracilis, a member of the phylum Euglenozoa that also includes human parasites. It features 29 different subunits, 8 of which are newly identified. The membrane region was determined to 2.8 Å resolution, enabling the identification of 37 associated lipids, including 25 cardiolipins, which provides insight into protein-lipid interaction and their functional roles. The rotor-stator interface comprises four membrane-embedded horizontal helices, including a distinct subunit a. The dimer interface is formed entirely by phylum-specific components, and a peripherally associated subcomplex contributes to the membrane curvature. The central and peripheral stalks directly interact with each other. Last, the ATPase inhibitory factor 1 (IF1) binds in a mode that is different from human, but conserved in Trypanosomatids.
Data availability
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this Article and the Supplementary Information. The cryo-EM maps have been deposited in the Electron Microscopy Data Bank with accession codes EMD-10467, EMD-10468, EMD-10469, EMD-10470, EMD 10471, EMD-10472, EMD-10473, EMD-10474, EMD-10475. The atomic models have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank under accession codes 6TDU, 6TDV, 6TDW, 6TDX, 6TDY, 6TDZ, 6TE0.
-
Cryo-EM mapsElectron Microscopy Data Bank, EMD-10467.
-
Cryo-EM mapsElectron Microscopy Data Bank, EMD-10468.
-
Cryo-EM mapsElectron Microscopy Data Bank, EMD-10469.
-
Cryo-EM mapsElectron Microscopy Data Bank, EMD-10470.
-
Cryo-EM mapsElectron Microscopy Data Bank, EMD 10471.
-
Cryo-EM mapsElectron Microscopy Data Bank, EMD-10472.
-
Cryo-EM mapsElectron Microscopy Data Bank, EMD-10473.
-
Cryo-EM mapsElectron Microscopy Data Bank, EMD-10474.
-
Cryo-EM mapsElectron Microscopy Data Bank, EMD-10475.
-
Transcriptome, proteome and draft genome of Euglena gracilisBMC, 10.1186/s12915-019-0626-8.
-
Unexpectedly Streamlined Mitochondrial Genome of the Euglenozoan Euglena gracilisOxford, Academic, 10.1093/gbe/evv229.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning (FFL15:0325)
- Alexey Amunts
Ragnar Söderbergs stiftelse (M44/16)
- Alexey Amunts
Vetenskapsrådet (NT_2015-04107)
- Alexey Amunts
Cancerfonden (2017/1041)
- Alexey Amunts
H2020 European Research Council (ERC-2018-StG-805230)
- Alexey Amunts
Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse ((2018.0080)
- Alexey Amunts
European Molecular Biology Organization (ALTF 260-2017)
- Alexander Mühleip
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Copyright
© 2019, Mühleip et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
Metrics
-
- 13,416
- views
-
- 1,150
- downloads
-
- 75
- citations
Views, downloads and citations are aggregated across all versions of this paper published by eLife.
Download links
A two-part list of links to download the article, or parts of the article, in various formats.
Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)
Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)
Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)
Structure of a mitochondrial ATP synthase with bound native cardiolipin
eLife 8:e51179.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.51179
Further reading
-
- Evolutionary Biology
Eyespot patterns have evolved in many prey species. These patterns were traditionally explained by the eye mimicry hypothesis, which proposes that eyespots resembling vertebrate eyes function as predator avoidance. However, it is possible that eyespots do not mimic eyes: according to the conspicuousness hypothesis, eyespots are just one form of vivid signals where only conspicuousness matters. They might work simply through neophobia or unfamiliarity, without necessarily implying aposematism or the unprofitability to potential predators. To test these hypotheses and explore factors influencing predators’ responses, we conducted a meta-analysis with 33 empirical papers that focused on bird responses to both real lepidopterans and artificial targets with conspicuous patterns (i.e. eyespots and non-eyespots). Supporting the latter hypothesis, the results showed no clear difference in predator avoidance efficacy between eyespots and non-eyespots. When comparing geometric pattern characteristics, bigger pattern sizes and smaller numbers of patterns were more effective in preventing avian predation. This finding indicates that single concentric patterns have stronger deterring effects than paired ones. Taken together, our study supports the conspicuousness hypothesis more than the eye mimicry hypothesis. Due to the number and species coverage of published studies so far, the generalisability of our conclusion may be limited. The findings highlight that pattern conspicuousness is key to eliciting avian avoidance responses, shedding a different light on this classic example of signal evolution.
-
- Evolutionary Biology
Studying the fecal microbiota of wild baboons helps provide new insight into the factors that influence biological aging.
