Mitochondrial protein import receptors in Kinetoplastids reveal convergent evolution over large phylogenetic distances

Mani, Jan; Desy, Silvia Franziska; Niemann, Moritz; Chanfon, Astrid; Oeljeklaus, Silke; Pusnik, Mascha; Schmidt, Oliver; Gerbeth, Carolin; Meisinger, Chris; Warscheid, Bettina; Schneider, André (2015). Mitochondrial protein import receptors in Kinetoplastids reveal convergent evolution over large phylogenetic distances. Nature communications, 6(6646), p. 6646. Nature Publishing Group 10.1038/ncomms7646

Preview

Text ncomms7646.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY). Download (3MB) | Preview

Mitochondrial protein import is essential for all eukaryotes and mediated by hetero-oligomeric protein translocases thought to be conserved within all eukaryotes. We have identified and analysed the function and architecture of the non-conventional outer membrane (OM) protein translocase in the early diverging eukaryote Trypanosoma brucei. It consists of six subunits that show no obvious homology to translocase components of other species. Two subunits are import receptors that have a unique topology and unique protein domains and thus evolved independently of the prototype receptors ​Tom20 and ​Tom70. Our study suggests that protein import receptors were recruited to the core of the OM translocase after the divergence of the major eukaryotic supergroups. Moreover, it links the evolutionary history of mitochondrial protein import receptors to the origin of the eukaryotic supergroups.

Interest & Impact

Downloads

181 since deposited on 22 Apr 2015
8 in the past 12 months

Citations

5 Citations in Web of Science ®
6 Citations in Scopus

Search

in Google Scholar™

Services

Actions (login required)

Edit item

Actions (login required)

Edit item