| 1. |
- Doimo, Mara, et al.
(författare)
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Enhanced mitochondrial G-quadruplex formation impedes replication fork progression leading to mtDNA loss in human cells.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nucleic acids research. - : Oxford University Press. - 1362-4962 .- 0305-1048. ; 51:14, s. 7392-7408
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication stalling is considered an initial step in the formation of mtDNA deletions that associate with genetic inherited disorders and aging. However, the molecular details of how stalled replication forks lead to mtDNA deletions accumulation are still unclear. Mitochondrial DNA deletion breakpoints preferentially occur at sequence motifs predicted to form G-quadruplexes (G4s), four-stranded nucleic acid structures that can fold in guanine-rich regions. Whether mtDNA G4s form in vivo and their potential implication for mtDNA instability is still under debate. In here, we developed new tools to map G4s in the mtDNA of living cells. We engineered a G4-binding protein targeted to the mitochondrial matrix of a human cell line and established the mtG4-ChIP method, enabling the determination of mtDNA G4s under different cellular conditions. Our results are indicative of transient mtDNA G4 formation in human cells. We demonstrate that mtDNA-specific replication stalling increases formation of G4s, particularly in the major arc. Moreover, elevated levels of G4 block the progression of the mtDNA replication fork and cause mtDNA loss. We conclude that stalling of the mtDNA replisome enhances mtDNA G4 occurrence, and that G4s not resolved in a timely manner can have a negative impact on mtDNA integrity.
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| 2. |
- Heublein, Manfred, et al.
(författare)
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Alternative Translation Initiation at a UUG Codon Gives Rise to Two Functional Variants of the Mitochondria! Protein Kgd4
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2836 .- 1089-8638. ; 431:7, s. 1460-1467
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Kgd4 is a novel subunit of the mitochondria! a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDH). In yeast, the protein is present in two forms of unknown origin, as there is only one open reading frame and no alternative splicing. Here, we show that the two forms of Kgd4 derive from one mRNA that is translated by employing two alternative start sites. The standard, annotated AUG codon gives rise to the short form of the protein, while an upstream UUG codon is utilized to generate the larger form. However, both forms can be efficiently imported into mitochondria and stably incorporate into KGDH to support its activity. Translation of the long variant depends on sequences directly upstream of the alternative initiation site, demonstrating that translation initiation and its efficiency are dictated by the sequence context surrounding a specific codon. In summary, the two forms of Kgd4 follow a very unusual biogenesis pathway, supporting the notion that translation initiation in yeast is more flexible than it is widely recognized.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Mata Forsberg, Manuel, et al.
(författare)
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Extracellular Membrane Vesicles from Lactobacilli Dampen IFN-gamma Responses in a Monocyte-Dependent Manner
- 2019
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Secreted factors derived from Lactobacillus are able to dampen pro-inflammatory cytokine responses. Still, the nature of these components and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we aimed to identify the components and the mechanism involved in the Lactobacillus-mediated modulation of immune cell activation. PBMC were stimulated in the presence of the cell free supernatants (CFS) of cultured Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938, followed by evaluation of cytokine responses. We show that lactobacilli-CFS effectively dampen induced IFN-gamma and IL-17A responses from T- and NK cells in a monocyte dependent manner by a soluble factor. A proteomic array analysis highlighted Lactobacillus-induced IL-1 receptor antagonist (ra) as a potential candidate responsible for the IFN-gamma dampening activity. Indeed, addition of recombinant IL-1ra to stimulated PBMC resulted in reduced IFN-gamma production. Further characterization of the lactobacilli-CFS revealed the presence of extracellular membrane vesicles with a similar immune regulatory activity to that observed with the lactobacilli-CFS. In conclusion, we have shown that lactobacilli produce extracellular MVs, which are able to dampen pro-inflammatory cytokine responses in a monocyte-dependent manner.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Ndi, Mama, et al.
(författare)
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Biogenesis of the bc(1) Complex of the Mitochondria! Respiratory Chain
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2836 .- 1089-8638. ; 430:21, s. 3892-3905
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The oxidative phosphorylation system contains four respiratory chain complexes that connect the transport of electrons to oxygen with the establishment of an electrochemical gradient over the inner membrane for ATP synthesis. Due to the dual genetic source of the respiratory chain subunits, its assembly requires a tight coordination between nuclear and mitochondrial gene expression machineries. In addition, dedicated assembly factors support the step-by-step addition of catalytic and accessory subunits as well as the acquisition of redox cofactors. Studies in yeast have revealed the basic principles underlying the assembly pathways. In this review, we summarize work on the biogenesis of the bc(1) complex or complex III, a central component of the mitochondrial energy conversion system.
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| 7. |
- Ndi, Mama, et al.
(författare)
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Structural basis for Cbp3 interaction with newly synthesized cytochrome b during mitochondrial respiratory chain assembly
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 294:45, s. 16663-16671
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Assembly of the mitochondrial respiratory chain requires the coordinated synthesis of mitochondrial and nuclear encoded subunits, redox co-factor acquisition, and correct joining of the subunits to form functional complexes. The conserved Cbp3–Cbp6 chaperone complex binds newly synthesized cytochrome b and supports the ordered acquisition of the heme co-factors. Moreover, it functions as a translational activator by interacting with the mitoribosome. Cbp3 consists of two distinct domains, an N-terminal domain present in mitochondrial Cbp3 homologs, and a highly conserved C-terminal domain comprising a ubiquinol–cytochrome c chaperone region. Here, we solved the crystal structure of this C-terminal domain from a bacterial homolog at 1.4 Å resolution, revealing a unique all-helical fold. This structure allowed mapping of the interaction sites of yeast Cbp3 with Cbp6 and cytochrome b via site-specific photo-crosslinking. We propose that mitochondrial Cbp3 homologs carry an N-terminal extension that positions the conserved C-terminal domain at the ribosomal tunnel exit for an efficient interaction with its substrate, the newly synthesized cytochrome b protein.
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| 8. |
- Ndi, Mama, 1983-
(författare)
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Structure and Biogenesis of Membrane Proteins
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Membrane proteins make up about one-third of the cellular proteome. The diverse roles that membrane proteins have in cells include major life-sustaining processes, making them major drug targets. The respiratory chain comprises a series of complexes of membrane proteins residing in the inner mitochondrial membrane, which serve as major drivers of ATP synthesis. Assembly of the respiratory chain complexes (RCC) requires coordinated synthesis of nuclear and mitochondrial subunits. Cbp3-Cbp6 complex binds to the mitoribosome as translational activator for cytochrome b synthesis and binds the nascent polypeptide to facilitate its hemylation. Cbp3 consists of an N-terminal domain specific to mitochondrial homologues and a conserved C-terminal ubiquinol-cytochrome c chaperone domain. In this thesis I present the first crystal structure of the C-terminal domain from a bacterial homologue that has enabled us to identify the interaction sites of yeast Cbp3 with Cbp6 and cytochrome b using site-specific photo-crosslinking. Our finding suggests that Cbp3 contacts the mitoribosome via the N-terminal domain in a manner that positions the substrate binding site close to the tunnel exit. In the second project, we have analyzed the effects of disease causing cytochrome b mutations, on bc1 complex assembly. We found that complex III assembly is blocked at either intermediate 0 or I due to impaired insertion of bL or bH heme respectively, which indicates that assembly processes are involved in disease development. We then focused on NADH; a product of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDH) catalyzed citric acid cycle reaction and one of the substrates that supply electron to the respiratory chain. Kgd4 is a novel subunit of this enzyme complex and two functional variants (Kgd4S and Kgd4L) of unknown origins exist in yeast. We report in our work that Kgd4L originates from a UUG alternative start site, 90 nucleotides upstream and in frame of the annotated start codon. The sequence context upstream of UUG determines the efficiency of recognition of this alternative start codon. Finally, Na+/H+ antiporters are present in all species and are involved in regulation of intracellular pH, cell volume and sodium concentration. ATP formed during oxidative phosphorylation serves as energy source for Na+/K+ ATPase to generate Na+ gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane, which drives local Na+/H+ antiporters. We show that K305 is involved in proton transport and responsible for the electrogenicity of NapA, while human NHA2 shows electroneutral antiporter activity.
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| 9. |
- Nji, Emmanuel, et al.
(författare)
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BioStruct-Africa : empowering Africa-based scientists through structural biology knowledge transfer and mentoring - recent advances and future perspectives
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. - 0909-0495 .- 1600-5775. ; 26, s. 1843-1850
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Being able to visualize biology at the molecular level is essential for our understanding of the world. A structural biology approach reveals the molecular basis of disease processes and can guide the design of new drugs as well as aid in the optimization of existing medicines. However, due to the lack of a synchrotron light source, adequate infrastructure, skilled persons and incentives for scientists in addition to limited financial support, the majority of countries across the African continent do not conduct structural biology research. Nevertheless, with technological advances such as robotic protein crystallization and remote data collection capabilities offered by many synchrotron light sources, X-ray crystallography is now potentially accessible to Africa-based scientists. This leap in technology led to the establishment in 2017 of BioStruct-Africa, a non-profit organization (Swedish corporate ID: 802509-6689) whose core aim is capacity building for African students and researchers in the field of structural biology with a focus on prevalent diseases in the African continent. The team is mainly composed of, but not limited to, a group of structural biologists from the African diaspora. The members of BioStruct-Africa have taken up the mantle to serve as a catalyst in order to facilitate the information and technology transfer to those with the greatest desire and need within Africa. BioStruct-Africa achieves this by organizing workshops onsite at our partner universities and institutions based in Africa, followed by post-hoc online mentoring of participants to ensure sustainable capacity building. The workshops provide a theoretical background on protein crystallography, hands-on practical experience in protein crystallization, crystal harvesting and cryo-cooling, live remote data collection on a synchrotron beamline, but most importantly the links to drive further collaboration through research. Capacity building for Africa-based researchers in structural biology is crucial to win the fight against the neglected tropical diseases, e.g. ascariasis, hookworm, trichuriasis, lymphatic filariasis, active trachoma, loiasis, yellow fever, leprosy, rabies, sleeping sickness, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, etc., that constitute significant health, social and economic burdens to the continent. BioStruct-Africa aims to build local and national expertise that will have direct benefits for healthcare within the continent.
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| 10. |
- Uzdavinys, Povilas, et al.
(författare)
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Dissecting the proton transport pathway in electrogenic Na+/H+ antiporters
- 2017
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 114:7, s. E1101-E1110
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sodium/proton exchangers of the SLC9 family mediate the transport of protons in exchange for sodium to help regulate intracellular pH, sodium levels, and cell volume. In electrogenic Na+/H+ antiporters, it has been assumed that two ion-binding aspartate residues transport the two protons that are later exchanged for one sodium ion. However, here we show that we can switch the antiport activity of the bacterial Na+/H+ antiporter NapA from being electrogenic to electroneutral by the mutation of a single lysine residue (K305). Electroneutral lysine mutants show similar ion affinities when driven by Delta pH, but no longer respond to either an electrochemical potential (psi) or could generate one when driven by ion gradients. We further show that the exchange activity of the human Na+/H+ exchanger NHA2 (SLC9B2) is electroneutral, despite harboring the two conserved aspartic acid residues found in NapA and other bacterial homologues. Consistently, the equivalent residue to K305 in human NHA2 has been replaced with arginine, which is a mutation that makes NapA electroneutral. We conclude that a transmembrane embedded lysine residue is essential for electrogenic transport in Na+/H+ antiporters.
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