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Review
. 2017 Sep;161(1):6-15.
doi: 10.1111/ppl.12561. Epub 2017 Apr 26.

Structure and function of complex I in animals and plants - a comparative view

Affiliations
Review

Structure and function of complex I in animals and plants - a comparative view

Jennifer Senkler et al. Physiol Plant. 2017 Sep.

Erratum in

  • Corrigendum.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] Physiol Plant. 2018 Nov;164(3):364-365. doi: 10.1111/ppl.12844. Physiol Plant. 2018. PMID: 30302785 No abstract available.

Abstract

The mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase complex (complex I) has a molecular mass of about 1000 kDa and includes 40-50 subunits in animals, fungi and plants. It is composed of a membrane arm and a peripheral arm and has a conserved L-like shape in all species investigated. However, in plants and possibly some protists it has a second peripheral domain which is attached to the membrane arm on its matrix exposed side at a central position. The extra domain includes proteins resembling prokaryotic gamma-type carbonic anhydrases. We here present a detailed comparison of complex I from mammals and flowering plants. Forty homologous subunits are present in complex I of both groups of species. In addition, five subunits are present in mammalian complex I, which are absent in plants, and eight to nine subunits are present in plant complex I which do not occur in mammals. Based on the atomic structure of mammalian complex I and biochemical insights into complex I architecture from plants we mapped the species-specific subunits. Interestingly, four of the five animal-specific and five of the eight to nine plant-specific subunits are localized at the inner surface of the membrane arm of complex I in close proximity. We propose that the inner surface of the membrane arm represents a workbench for attaching proteins to complex I, which are not directly related to respiratory electron transport, like nucleoside kinases, acyl-carrier proteins or carbonic anhydrases. We speculate that further enzyme activities might be bound to this micro-location in other groups of organisms.

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