Mitochondrial ATP synthasome. Three-dimensional structure by electron microscopy of the ATP synthase in complex formation with carriers for P i and ADP/ATP

Chen Chen, Young Ko, Michael Delannoy, Steven J. Ludtke, Wah Chiu, Peter L. Pedersen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

165 Scopus citations

Abstract

The terminal steps involved in making ATP in mitochondria require an ATP synthase (F0F1) comprised of two motors, a phosphate carrier (PIC), and an adenine nucleotide carrier (ANC). Under mild conditions, these entities sub-fractionate as an ATP synthase/PIC/ANC complex or "ATP synthasome" (Ko, Y.H., Delannoy, M., Hullihen, J., Chiu, W., and Pedersen, P.L. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 12305-12309). As a first step toward obtaining three-dimensional information about this large complex or "metabolon" and the locations of PIC and ANC therein, we dispersed ATP synthasomes into single complexes and visualized negatively stained images by electron microscopy (EM) that showed clearly the classical headpiece, central stalk, and basepiece. Parallel immuno-EM studies revealed the presence of PIC and ANC located non-centrally in the basepiece, and other studies implicated an ATP synthase/PIC/ANC stoichiometry near 1:1:1. Single ATP synthasome images (7506) were boxed, and, using EMAN software, a three-dimensional model was obtained at a resolution of 23 Å. Significantly, the basepiece is oblong and contains two domains, the larger of which connects to the central stalk, whereas the smaller appears as an extension. Docking studies with known structures together with the immuno-EM studies suggest that PIC or ANC may be located in the smaller domain, whereas the other transporter resides nearby in the larger domain. Collectively, these finding support a mechanism in which the entry of the substrates ADP and Pi into mitochondria, the synthesis of ATP on F1, and the release and exit of ATP are very localized and highly coordinated events.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)31761-31768
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume279
Issue number30
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 23 2004
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mitochondrial ATP synthasome. Three-dimensional structure by electron microscopy of the ATP synthase in complex formation with carriers for P i and ADP/ATP'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this