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Biomolecules
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Insights in the Structure and Functions of Mitochondrial Proteins and...
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Insights in the Structure and Functions of Mitochondrial Proteins and Metalloproteins

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Structure and Dynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 12034

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Vito Calderone

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Magnetic Resonance Center and Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Interests: X-ray protein crystallography; mitochondrial proteins; metalloproteins; structure-based drug design; protein–protein complexes; structural biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metalloproteins are a large protein ensemble; they bind at least one metal ion. These metal ions are usually coordinated by protein residues’ nitrogen, sulphur, and/or oxygen atoms. The chemistry of metals allows for a broader set of reactions—for example, as in redox reactions.

Mitochondrial proteins form a smaller group; they are located within the mitochondria of cells, including within the inner mitochondrial membrane. Mitochondrial proteins are generally involved in mitochondrial functions, including carrying out reactions of the electron transport chain.

Original research papers or reviews dealing with any structural/functional aspect of metalloproteins in general and of mitochondrial proteins are welcome in this Special Issue.

Dr. Vito Calderone
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mitochondrial proteins
  • metalloproteins
  • cellular and structural biology

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 2061 KiB  
Article
Crystal Structure of the Human Copper Chaperone ATOX1 Bound to Zinc Ion
by Vincenzo Mangini, Benny Danilo Belviso, Maria Incoronata Nardella, Giovanni Natile, Fabio Arnesano and Rocco Caliandro
Biomolecules 2022, 12(10), 1494; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12101494 - 16 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2445
Abstract
The bioavailability of copper (Cu) in human cells may depend on a complex interplay with zinc (Zn) ions. We investigated the ability of the Zn ion to target the human Cu-chaperone Atox1, a small cytosolic protein capable of anchoring Cu(I), by a conserved [...] Read more.
The bioavailability of copper (Cu) in human cells may depend on a complex interplay with zinc (Zn) ions. We investigated the ability of the Zn ion to target the human Cu-chaperone Atox1, a small cytosolic protein capable of anchoring Cu(I), by a conserved surface-exposed Cys-X-X-Cys (CXXC) motif, and deliver it to Cu-transporting ATPases in the trans-Golgi network. The crystal structure of Atox1 loaded with Zn displays the metal ion bridging the CXXC motifs of two Atox1 molecules in a homodimer. The identity and location of the Zn ion were confirmed through the anomalous scattering of the metal by collecting X-ray diffraction data near the Zn K-edge. Furthermore, soaking experiments of the Zn-loaded Atox1 crystals with a strong chelating agent, such as EDTA, caused only limited removal of the metal ion from the tetrahedral coordination cage, suggesting a potential role of Atox1 in Zn metabolism and, more generally, that Cu and Zn transport mechanisms could be interlocked in human cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insights in the Structure and Functions of Mitochondrial Proteins and Metalloproteins)
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12 pages, 1885 KiB  
Article
Investigation of the Molecular Mechanisms of the Eukaryotic Cytochrome-c Maturation System
by Ana V. Silva, Maria O. Firmino, Nazua L. Costa, Ricardo O. Louro and Catarina M. Paquete
Biomolecules 2022, 12(4), 549; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12040549 - 7 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2178
Abstract
Cytochromes-c are ubiquitous heme proteins with enormous impact at the cellular level, being key players in metabolic processes such as electron transfer chains and apoptosis. The assembly of these proteins requires maturation systems that catalyse the formation of the covalent thioether bond [...] Read more.
Cytochromes-c are ubiquitous heme proteins with enormous impact at the cellular level, being key players in metabolic processes such as electron transfer chains and apoptosis. The assembly of these proteins requires maturation systems that catalyse the formation of the covalent thioether bond between two cysteine residues and the vinyl groups of the heme. System III is the maturation system present in Eukaryotes, designated CcHL or HCCS. This System requires a specific amino acid sequence in the apocytochrome to be recognized as a substrate and for heme insertion. To explore the recognition mechanisms of CcHL, the bacterial tetraheme cytochrome STC from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, which is not a native substrate for System III, was mutated to be identified as a substrate. The results obtained show that it is possible to convert a bacterial cytochrome as a substrate by CcHL, but the presence of the recognition sequence is not the only factor that induces the maturation of a holocytochrome by System III. The location of this sequence in the polypeptide also plays a role in the maturation of the c-type cytochrome. Furthermore, CcHL appears to be able to catalyse the binding of only one heme per polypeptide chain, being unable to assemble multiheme cytochromes c, in contrast with bacterial maturation systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insights in the Structure and Functions of Mitochondrial Proteins and Metalloproteins)
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Review

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28 pages, 4278 KiB  
Review
Molecular Basis of Rare Diseases Associated to the Maturation of Mitochondrial [4Fe-4S]-Containing Proteins
by Francesca Camponeschi, Simone Ciofi-Baffoni, Vito Calderone and Lucia Banci
Biomolecules 2022, 12(7), 1009; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12071009 - 21 Jul 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2851
Abstract
The importance of mitochondria in mammalian cells is widely known. Several biochemical reactions and pathways take place within mitochondria: among them, there are those involving the biogenesis of the iron–sulfur (Fe-S) clusters. The latter are evolutionarily conserved, ubiquitous inorganic cofactors, performing a variety [...] Read more.
The importance of mitochondria in mammalian cells is widely known. Several biochemical reactions and pathways take place within mitochondria: among them, there are those involving the biogenesis of the iron–sulfur (Fe-S) clusters. The latter are evolutionarily conserved, ubiquitous inorganic cofactors, performing a variety of functions, such as electron transport, enzymatic catalysis, DNA maintenance, and gene expression regulation. The synthesis and distribution of Fe-S clusters are strictly controlled cellular processes that involve several mitochondrial proteins that specifically interact each other to form a complex machinery (Iron Sulfur Cluster assembly machinery, ISC machinery hereafter). This machinery ensures the correct assembly of both [2Fe-2S] and [4Fe-4S] clusters and their insertion in the mitochondrial target proteins. The present review provides a structural and molecular overview of the rare diseases associated with the genes encoding for the accessory proteins of the ISC machinery (i.e., GLRX5, ISCA1, ISCA2, IBA57, FDX2, BOLA3, IND1 and NFU1) involved in the assembly and insertion of [4Fe-4S] clusters in mitochondrial proteins. The disease-related missense mutations were mapped on the 3D structures of these accessory proteins or of their protein complexes, and the possible impact that these mutations have on their specific activity/function in the frame of the mitochondrial [4Fe-4S] protein biogenesis is described. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insights in the Structure and Functions of Mitochondrial Proteins and Metalloproteins)
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9 pages, 1512 KiB  
Review
The Role of COA6 in the Mitochondrial Copper Delivery Pathway to Cytochrome c Oxidase
by Abhinav B. Swaminathan and Vishal M. Gohil
Biomolecules 2022, 12(1), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12010125 - 13 Jan 2022
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3772
Abstract
Copper is essential for the stability and activity of cytochrome c oxidase (CcO), the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Copper is bound to COX1 and COX2, two core subunits of CcO, forming the CuB and CuA sites, respectively. Biogenesis [...] Read more.
Copper is essential for the stability and activity of cytochrome c oxidase (CcO), the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Copper is bound to COX1 and COX2, two core subunits of CcO, forming the CuB and CuA sites, respectively. Biogenesis of these two copper sites of CcO occurs separately and requires a number of evolutionarily conserved proteins that form the mitochondrial copper delivery pathway. Pathogenic mutations in some of the proteins of the copper delivery pathway, such as SCO1, SCO2, and COA6, have been shown to cause fatal infantile human disorders, highlighting the biomedical significance of understanding copper delivery mechanisms to CcO. While two decades of studies have provided a clearer picture regarding the biochemical roles of SCO1 and SCO2 proteins, some discrepancy exists regarding the function of COA6, the new member of this pathway. Initial genetic and biochemical studies have linked COA6 with copper delivery to COX2 and follow-up structural and functional studies have shown that it is specifically required for the biogenesis of the CuA site by acting as a disulfide reductase of SCO and COX2 proteins. Its role as a copper metallochaperone has also been proposed. Here, we critically review the recent literature regarding the molecular function of COA6 in CuA biogenesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insights in the Structure and Functions of Mitochondrial Proteins and Metalloproteins)
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