Cytochrome oxidase (CO) is the last electron acceptor in the respiratory chain. The CO core is formed by mitochondrial DNA-encoded Cox1, Cox2, and Cox3 subunits. Cox1 synthesis is highly regulated; for example, if CO assembly is blocked, Cox1 synthesis decreases. Mss51 activates translation of mRNA and interacts with Cox1 protein in high-molecular-weight complexes (COA complexes) to form the Cox1 intermediary assembly module. Thus, Mss51 coordinates both Cox1 synthesis and assembly. We previously reported that the last 15 residues of the Cox1 C terminus regulate Cox1 synthesis by modulating an interaction of Mss51 with Cox14, another component of the COA complexes. Here, using site-directed mutagenesis of the mitochondrial gene from , we demonstrate that mutations P521A/P522A and V524E disrupt the regulatory role of the Cox1 C terminus. These mutations, as well as C terminus deletion (Cox1ΔC15), reduced binding of Mss51 and Cox14 to COA complexes. Mss51 was enriched in a translationally active form that maintains full Cox1 synthesis even if CO assembly is blocked in these mutants. Moreover, Cox1ΔC15, but not Cox1-P521A/P522A and Cox1-V524E, promoted formation of aberrant supercomplexes in CO assembly mutants lacking Cox2 or Cox4 subunits. The aberrant supercomplex formation depended on the presence of cytochrome and Cox3, supporting the idea that supercomplex assembly factors associate with Cox3 and demonstrating that supercomplexes can be formed even if CO is inactive and not fully assembled. Our results indicate that the Cox1 C-terminal end is a key regulator of CO biogenesis and that it is important for supercomplex formation/stability.
Message-specific translational regulation mechanisms shape the biogenesis of multimeric oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) enzyme in mitochondria from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . These mechanisms, driven mainly by the action of mRNA-specific translational activators, help to coordinate synthesis of OXPHOS catalytic subunits by the mitoribosomes with both the import of their nucleus-encoded partners and their assembly to form the holocomplexes. However, little is known regarding the role that the mitoribosome itself may play in mRNA-specific translational regulation. Here, we show that the mitoribosome small subunit protein Cox24/mS38, known to be necessary for mitoribosome-specific intersubunit bridge formation and 15S rRNA H44 stabilization, is required for efficient mitoribogenesis. Consequently, mS38 is necessary to sustain the overall mitochondrial protein synthesis rate, despite an adaptive ∼2-fold increase in mitoribosome abundance in mS38 -deleted cells. Additionally, the absence of mS38 preferentially disturbs translation initiation of COX1, COX2 , and COX3 mRNAs, without affecting the levels of mRNA-specific translational activators. We propose that mS38 confers the mitochondrial ribosome an intrinsic capacity of translational regulation, probably acquired during evolution from bacterial ribosomes to facilitate the translation of mitochondrial mRNAs, which lack typical anti-Shine-Dalgarno sequences.
Cytochrome c oxidase assembly requires the synthesis of the mitochondria-encoded core subunits, Cox1, Cox2, and Cox3. In yeast, Pet54 protein is required to activate translation of the COX3 mRNA and to process the aI5 intron on the COX1 transcript. Here we report a third, novel function of Pet54 on Cox1 synthesis. We observed that Pet54 is necessary to achieve an efficient Cox1 synthesis. Translation of the COX1 mRNA is coupled to the assembly of cytochrome c oxidase by a mechanism that involves Mss51. This protein activates translation of the COX1 mRNA by acting on the COX1 5-UTR, and, in addition, it interacts with the newly synthesized Cox1 protein in high molecular weight complexes that include the factors Coa3 and Cox14. Deletion of Pet54 decreased Cox1 synthesis, and, in contrast to what is commonly observed for other assembly mutants, double deletion of cox14 or coa3 did not recover Cox1 synthesis. Our results show that Pet54 is a positive regulator of Cox1 synthesis that renders Mss51 competent as a translational activator of the COX1 mRNA and that this role is independent of the assembly feedback regulatory loop of Cox1 synthesis. Pet54 may play a role in Mss51 hemylation/conformational change necessary for translational activity. Moreover, Pet54 physically interacts with the COX1 mRNA, and this binding was independent of the presence of Mss51.Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) 3 is the last electron acceptor of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, this enzyme contains 12 subunits, three of which (Cox1, Cox2, and Cox3) are encoded by the mitochondrial DNA. Assembly of CcO is a complex process regulated by more than 25 factors and chaperones (for reviews, see Ref. 1). The first steps of CcO biogenesis involve the translational activation of the mitochondria-encoded mRNAs COX1, COX2, and COX3 by mRNA-specific proteins. Translational activation of the COX1 mRNA depends on Pet309 and Mss51 (2, 3), whereas COX2 translation depends on Pet111 (4, 5), and COX3 mRNA translation depends on Pet54, Pet122, and Pet494 (6 -9). These proteins act on the target mRNA 5Ј-UTRs to allow translation by the mitochondrial ribosomes. They interact with each other and with the mitochondrial inner membrane and are thought to tether translation initiation close to the assembly sites of CcO in the membrane (for a review, see Ref. 10) (11). The mitochondria-encoded Cox1, Cox2, and Cox3 subunits are proposed to assemble from three different modules, each containing a specific subset of nucleus-encoded subunits (12-14).Cox1, the largest subunit of the CcO, carries the heme aa 3 -Cu B center to reduce oxygen. Synthesis of Cox1 inside mitochondria is highly regulated. If CcO assembly is blocked by mutations on either integral subunits or accessory chaperones, Cox1 synthesis is down-regulated (15, 16). It is proposed that by this mechanism, mitochondria avoids accumulation of pro-oxidant Cox1 intermediates (17). In addition to its role as translational activator of COX1 mRNA, Mss51 also physically inter...
Deletion of the yeast mitochondrial gene COX2 encoding subunit 2 (Cox2) of cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) results in loss of respiration (Δcox2 strain). Supekova et al. (2010) [1] transformed a Δcox2 strain with a vector expressing Cox2 with a mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS) and the point mutation W56R (Cox2(W56R)), restoring respiratory growth. Here, the CcO carrying the allotopically-expressed Cox2(W56R) was characterized. Yeast mitochondria from the wild-type (WT) and the Δcox2+Cox2(W56R) strains were subjected to Blue Native electrophoresis. In-gel activity of CcO and spectroscopic quantitation of cytochromes revealed that only 60% of CcO is present in the complemented strain, and that less CcO is found associated in supercomplexes as compared to WT. CcOs from the WT and the mutant exhibited similar subunit composition, although activity was 20-25% lower in the enzyme containing Cox2(W56R) than in the one with Cox2(WT). Tandem mass spectrometry confirmed that W(56) was substituted by R(56) in Cox2(W56R). In addition, Cox2(W56R) exhibited the same N-terminus than Cox2(WT), indicating that the MTS of Oxa1 and the leader sequence of 15 residues were removed from Cox2(W56R) during maturation. Thus, Cox2(W56R) is identical to Cox2(WT) except for the point mutation W56R. Mitochondrial Cox1 synthesis is strongly reduced in Δcox2 mutants, but the Cox2(W56R) complemented strain led to full restoration of Cox1 synthesis. We conclude that the cytosol-synthesized Cox2(W56R) follows a rate-limiting process of import, maturation or assembly that yields lower steady-state levels of CcO. Still, the allotopically-expressed Cox2(W56R) restores CcO activity and allows mitochondrial Cox1 synthesis to advance at WT levels.
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