Functionally important conserved length of C-terminal regions of yeast and bovine ADP/ATP carriers, identified by deletion mutants studies, and water accessibility of the amino acids at the C-terminal region of the yeast carrier

Mitochondrion. 2008 Mar;8(2):196-204. doi: 10.1016/j.mito.2008.01.004. Epub 2008 Feb 5.

Abstract

Comparison of the amino acid sequence of yeast type 2 ADP/ATP carrier (yAAC2) with that of bovine type 1 AAC (bAAC1) revealed that the N- and C-terminus of yAAC2 are 15- and 6-amino acids longer, respectively, than those of bAAC1. In the present study, we focused on the difference in the C-terminal region between yAAC2 and bAAC1. Deletion of first six residues of C-terminus of yAAC did not markedly affect the function of yAAC2; however, further deletion of 1 amino acid (7th amino acid from the C-terminus) destroyed its function. On the contrary, deletion of the first amino acid residue of the C-terminus of bAAC1 caused failure of its functional expression in yeast mitochondria. Based on these results, we concluded that the 6-amino acid residue extension of the C-terminus of yAAC2 was not necessary for the function of this carrier and that the remainder of the C-terminal region of yAAC2, having a length conserved with that of bAAC1, is important for the transport function of AACs. We next prepared various single-Cys mutants in which each of 32 residues in the C-terminus of yAAC2 was replaced by a Cys residue. Since all mutants were successfully expressed in yeast mitochondria, we examined the reactivity of these cysteine residues with the membrane-impermeable sulfhydryl reagent eosin 5-maleimide (EMA). As a result, all cysteine residues that replaced the 9 continuous amino acids in Met310-Lys318 showed high reactivity with EMA regardless of the presence of carboxyatractyloside or bongkrekic acid; and so this region was concluded to be exposed to the water-accessible environment. Furthermore, based on the reactivities of cysteine residues that replaced amino acids in the sixth transmembrane segment, the probable structural features of the C-terminal region of this carrier in the presence of bongkrekic acid were discussed.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Bongkrekic Acid / pharmacology
  • Cattle
  • Eosine Yellowish-(YS) / analogs & derivatives
  • Eosine Yellowish-(YS) / metabolism
  • Gene Deletion
  • Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases / drug effects
  • Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases / genetics*
  • Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Conformation
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / drug effects
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Transformation, Genetic

Substances

  • PET9 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Bongkrekic Acid
  • eosin maleimide
  • Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases
  • Eosine Yellowish-(YS)