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

Jan Mani, Silvia Desy, Moritz Niemann, Astrid Chanfon, Silke Oeljeklaus, Mascha Pusnik, Oliver Schmidt, Carolin Gerbeth, Chris Meisinger, Bettina Warscheid and André Schneider ()
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Jan Mani: University of Bern
Silvia Desy: University of Bern
Moritz Niemann: University of Bern
Astrid Chanfon: University of Bern
Silke Oeljeklaus: Faculty of Biology and BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg
Mascha Pusnik: University of Bern
Oliver Schmidt: Institut für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, ZBMZ and BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, Universität Freiburg
Carolin Gerbeth: Institut für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, ZBMZ and BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, Universität Freiburg
Chris Meisinger: Institut für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, ZBMZ and BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, Universität Freiburg
Bettina Warscheid: Faculty of Biology and BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg
André Schneider: University of Bern

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract 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.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7646

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