ASBMB Today: Charting the mitochondrial interactome

Andy · Mar 12, 2018

As the powerhouses of the cell, mitochondria host various supramolecular protein complexes. Delineating the structural basis of these protein complexes is essential to improve our understanding of how mitochondria function and generate energy. In a study published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, Albert Heck and a team of investigators at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, aimed to discover the organization and interactions of proteins in the mitochondria of mouse hearts.

“We were most curious about the organization of protein molecules within mitochondria, because proteins are the molecular building blocks that make the mitochondrial energy factory work,” Heck said. “It was already known which proteins are involved in energy generation, but it is still not fully understood how these building blocks come together within intact mitochondria.”
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Going a step further to validate their map, the investigators soaked the mitochondria in a high-salt solution to disrupt the protein supercomplexes. They showed, using the same cross-linking technique, that these “dysfunctional” mitochondria displayed a very different protein interaction network. “These data show that protein organization and mitochondria function are two sides of the same coin,” said co-author Philip Lössl. “We believe that our protein maps will help us understand the organization principles that allow mitochondria to work as molecular powerhouses.”
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http://www.asbmb.org/asbmbtoday/201803/News/MI/

Barry · Mar 12, 2018

I'm no scientist, but if valid then this statement sounds promising for future research:

Chemical cross-linking and mass spectrometry allowed the researchers to probe native architecture of protein assemblies in mitochondria that are still intact and functioning. Most traditional biochemical methods for studying protein–protein interactions involve solubilizing the membrane using a detergent, which can introduce artifacts. “In such studies, the forceful breaking of the mitochondria can have dramatic effects on the protein organization and important information may be lost,” Lössl said.
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ASBMB Today: Charting the mitochondrial interactome

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ASBMB Today: Charting the mitochondrial interactome

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