Ubiquinone functions in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Recent evidence suggests that the reduced form of ubiquinone (ubiquinol) may also function as a lipid soluble antioxidant. The biosynthesis of ubiquinone requires two O-methylation steps. In eukaryotes, the first O-methylation step is carried out by the Coq3 polypeptide, which catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine to 3,4-dihydroxy-5-polyprenylbenzoate. In Escherichia coli, 2-polyprenyl-6-hydroxyphenol is the predicted substrate; however, the corresponding O-methyltransferase has not been identified. The second O-methylation step in E. coli, the conversion of demethylubiquinone to ubiquinone, is carried out by the UbiG methyltransferase, which is 40% identical in amino acid sequence with the yeast Coq3 methyltransferase. On the basis of the chemical similarity of the first and last methyl-acceptor substrates and the high degree of amino acid sequence identity between Coq3p and UbiG, the ability of UbiG to catalyze both O-methylation steps was investigated. The current study shows that the ubiG gene is able to restore respiration in the yeast coq3 mutant, provided ubiG is modified to contain a mitochondrial leader sequence. The mitochondrial targeting of O-methyltransferase activity is an essential feature of the ability to restore respiration and hence ubiquinone biosynthesis in vivo. In vitro import assays show the mitochondrial leader sequence present on Coq3p functions to direct mitochondrial import of Coq3p in vitro and that processing to the mature form requires a membrane potential. In vitro methyltransferase assays with E. coli cell lysates and synthetically prepared farnesylated-substrate analogs indicate that UbiG methylates both the derivative of the eukaryotic intermediate, 3,4-dihydroxy-5-farnesylbenzoate, as well as that of the E. coli intermediate, 2-farnesyl-6-hydroxyphenol. The data presented indicate that the yeast Coq3 polypeptide is located in the mitochondria and that E. coli UbiG catalyzes both O-methylation steps in E. coli.

Strains of Escherichia coli with mutations in the ubiE gene are not able to catalyze the carbon methylation reaction in the biosynthesis of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q) and menaquinone (vitamin K 2 ), essential isoprenoid quinone components of the respiratory electron transport chain. This gene has been mapped to 86 min on the chromosome, a region where the nucleic acid sequence has recently been determined. To identify the ubiE gene, we evaluated the amino acid sequences encoded by open reading frames located in this region for the presence of sequence motifs common to a wide variety of S-adenosyl-L-methionine-dependent methyltransferases. One open reading frame in this region (o251) was found to encode these motifs, and several lines of evidence that confirm the identity of the o251 product as UbiE are presented. The transformation of a strain harboring the ubiE401 mutation with o251 on an expression plasmid restored both the growth of this strain on succinate and its ability to synthesize both ubiquinone and menaquinone. Disruption of o251 in a wild-type parental strain produced a mutant with defects in growth on succinate and in both ubiquinone and menaquinone synthesis. DNA sequence analysis of the ubiE401 allele identified a missense mutation resulting in the amino acid substitution of Asp for Gly 142 . E. coli strains containing either the disruption or the point mutation in ubiE accumulated 2-octaprenyl-6-methoxy-1,4-benzoquinone and demethylmenaquinone as predominant intermediates. A search of the gene databases identified ubiE homologs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, Leishmania donovani, Lactococcus lactis, and Bacillus subtilis. In B. subtilis the ubiE homolog is likely to be required for menaquinone biosynthesis and is located within the gerC gene cluster, known to be involved in spore germination and normal vegetative growth. The data presented identify the E. coli UbiE polypeptide and provide evidence that it is required for the C methylation reactions in both ubiquinone and menaquinone biosynthesis.The isoprenoid quinone ubiquinone (coenzyme Q) is an essential component in the respiratory electron transport chain of both eukaryotes and most prokaryotes, with the exception of the gram-positive bacteria and the blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) (26,27). In Escherichia coli, Q serves as a redox mediator in aerobic respiration and performs this function via reversible redox cycling between QH 2 (the hydroquinone form) and Q (12). Our understanding of the biosynthesis and function of Q in E. coli derives from the characterization of the ubi mutants, which are completely deficient in Q and unable to grow on media containing succinate as the sole carbon source (13). The Q intermediates accumulating in strains with mutations in one of the eight ubi genes (ubiA through ubiH) have been identified, and the chromosomal locations of the ubi genes have been mapped (13,20,46). Clones corresponding to ubiA (36, 43), ubiC (25, 34), ubiG (42), and ubiH (24) have been identified. Additionally, a proba...

Ubiquinone (coenzyme Q or Q) is an essential component of the mitochondrial respiratory chain in eukaryotic cells. There are eight complementation groups of Q-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants designated coq1-coq8. Here we report that COQ8 is ABC1 (for Activity of bc 1 complex), which was originally isolated as a multicopy suppressor of a cytochrome b mRNA translation defect (Bousquet, I., Dujardin, G., and Slonimski, P. P. (1991) EMBO J. 10, 2023-2031). Previous studies of abc1 mutants suggested that the mitochondrial respiratory complexes were thermosensitive and function inefficiently. Although initial characterization of the abc1 mutants revealed characteristics of Q-deficient mutants, levels of Q were reported to be similar to wild type. The suggested function of Abc1p was that it acts as a chaperone-like protein essential for the proper conformation and functioning of the bc 1 and its neighboring complexes (Brasseur, G., Tron, P., Dujardin, G., Slonimski, P. P. (1997) Eur. J. Biochem. 246, 103-111). Studies presented here indicate that abc1/coq8 null mutants are defective in Q biosynthesis and accumulate 3-hexaprenyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid as the predominant intermediate. As observed in other yeast coq mutants, supplementation of growth media with Q 6 rescues the abc1/coq8 null mutants for growth on nonfermentable carbon sources. Such supplementation also partially restores succinate-cytochrome c reductase activity in the abc1/coq8 null mutants. Abc1/Coq8p localizes to the mitochondria, and is proteolytically processed upon import. The findings presented here indicate that the previously reported thermosensitivity of the respiratory complexes of abc1/coq8 mutants results from the lack of Q and a general deficiency in respiration, rather than a specific phenotype due to dysfunction of the Abc1 polypeptide. These results indicate that ABC1/COQ8 is essential for Q-biosynthesis and that the critical defect of abc1/coq8 mutants is a lack of Q.

Ubiquinone (coenzyme Q or Q) is a lipid that functions in the electron transport chain in the inner mitochondrial membrane of eukaryotes and the plasma membrane of prokaryotes. Q-deficient mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae harbor defects in one of eight COQ genes (coq1-coq8) and are unable to grow on nonfermentable carbon sources. The biosynthesis of Q involves two separate O-methylation steps. In yeast, the first Omethylation utilizes 3,4-dihydroxy-5-hexaprenylbenzoic acid as a substrate and is thought to be catalyzed by Coq3p, a 32.7-kDa protein that is 40% identical to the Escherichia coli O-methyltransferase, UbiG. In this study, farnesylated analogs corresponding to the second O-methylation step, demethyl-Q 3 and Q 3 , have been chemically synthesized and used to study Q biosynthesis in yeast mitochondria in vitro. Both yeast and rat Coq3p recognize the demethyl-Q 3 precursor as a substrate. In addition, E. coli UbiGp was purified and found to catalyze both O-methylation steps. Futhermore, antibodies to yeast Coq3p were used to determine that the Coq3 polypeptide is peripherally associated with the matrixside of the inner membrane of yeast mitochondria. The results indicate that one O-methyltransferase catalyzes both steps in Q biosynthesis in eukaryotes and prokaryotes and that Q biosynthesis is carried out within the matrix compartment of yeast mitochondria.Ubiquinone is an essential lipid in the electron transport chain that is found in the inner mitochondrial membranes of eukaryotes and in the plasma membrane of prokaryotes (1). The structure of Q 1 consists of a quinone head group and a hydrophobic isoprenoid tail that can vary in length depending on the species in which it is found. The quinone group undergoes reversible single electron transfers, interchanging between the quinone, semiquinone, and hydroquinone, whereas the isoprenoid tail functions to anchor Q in the membrane. In eukaryotes, Q functions to shuttle electrons from either Complex I or Complex II to Complex III/bc 1 complex. The transfer of electrons from Q to the bc 1 complex is coupled to proton-translocation via the Q cycle mechanism that was first proposed by Mitchell (2). A number of studies support such a mechanism (for a review, see Ref. 1) including the recently determined complete structure of the bc 1 complex (3).The redox properties of Q also allow it to function as a lipid soluble antioxidant. Q functions by either directly scavenging lipid peroxyl radicals (4) or indirectly reducing ␣-tocopherol radicals to regenerate ␣-tocopherol (5, 6). Additionally, Q protects cells from oxidative damage generated by the autoxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (7). Q is found in many eukaryotic intracellular membranes, including the plasma membrane, where, in conjunction with a plasma membrane electron transport system, it functions to scavenge ascorbate free radicals (8, 9). In the plasma membrane of prokaryotes, Q participates in the maintenance of the enzymatic activity of DsbA/DsbB disulfide bond forming proteins (10), and Q-def...

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