Work

The Mitochondrial Ca 2+ Uniporter Complex (MCUC) of Trypanosoma brucei Is a Hetero-oligomer That Contains Novel Subunits Essential for Ca 2+ Uptake

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Trypanosoma brucei causes human African trypanosomiasis and nagana in animals. The finding of a mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) conserved in this parasite was essential for the discovery of the gene encoding the pore subunit. Mitochondrial Ca 2+ transport mediated by the MUC complex is critical in Trypanosoma brucei for shaping the dynamics of cytosolic Ca 2+ increases, for the bioenergetics of the cells, and for viability and infectivity. We found that one component of the complex (MCUb) does not act as a dominant negative effector of the channel as in vertebrate cells and that the TbMCUC possesses two unique subunits (MCUc and MCUd) present only in trypanosomatids and required for Ca 2+ transport. The study of the interactions between these four subunits (MCU, MCUb, MCUc, and MCUd) by a variety of techniques that include coimmunoprecipitation, split-ubiquitin membrane-based yeast two-hybrid assays, and site-directed mutagenesis suggests that they interact through their transmembrane helices to form hetero-oligomers.

Source: mBio

DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01700-18

Authors: Guozhong Huang, Roberto Docampo

Institution: University of Georgia

Language: English

Topic: Mitochondrial Function and Pathology

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,900

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases