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COX7A2L/SCAFI and pre-complex III modify respiratory chain supercomplex formation in different mouse strains with a Bcs1l mutation

Davoudi, Mina LU orcid ; Kotarsky, Heike LU ; Hansson, Eva LU ; Kallijarvi, Jukka and Fellman, Vineta LU orcid (2016) In PLoS ONE 11(12).
Abstract

The COX7A2L (Supercomplex Assembly Factor I, SCAFI) protein has been proposed to be a mitochondrial supercomplex assembly factor required for respirasome (supercomplex containing complexes I, III, and IV) formation. In the C57BL/6 mouse strain a homozygous in-frame 6-base-pair deletion in the COX7a2l/SCAF1 gene resulting in unstable protein and suggesting loss of function was previously identified. The loss of SCAFI was shown to impede respirasome formation, a major concern for the use of C57BL mouse strains in mitochondrial research. In contradiction, another recent study suggested that supercomplex formation is independent of SCAFI isoforms. We investigated whether SCAFI isoform status affected the disease severity and supercomplex... (More)

The COX7A2L (Supercomplex Assembly Factor I, SCAFI) protein has been proposed to be a mitochondrial supercomplex assembly factor required for respirasome (supercomplex containing complexes I, III, and IV) formation. In the C57BL/6 mouse strain a homozygous in-frame 6-base-pair deletion in the COX7a2l/SCAF1 gene resulting in unstable protein and suggesting loss of function was previously identified. The loss of SCAFI was shown to impede respirasome formation, a major concern for the use of C57BL mouse strains in mitochondrial research. In contradiction, another recent study suggested that supercomplex formation is independent of SCAFI isoforms. We investigated whether SCAFI isoform status affected the disease severity and supercomplex formation in the liver of Bcs1lc.232A>G knock-in mice with incomplete complex III assembly. In homozygotes (Bcs1lG/G) of mixed (C57BL/6:129/Sv) genetic background, the lifespan was similar in mice with wild-type SCAFI allele and in those homozygous (SCAFIshort/short) for the deleted SCAF1 variant (34-3 days; n = 6 vs. 32-2 days; n = 7, respectively). SCAFI heterozygosity (SCAFIlong/short) resulted in decreased SCAFI protein but respirasome assembly was unaffected. Congenic (C57BL/6) mice were of the genotype SCAFIshort/short and had no detectable SCAFI protein. In their liver mitochondria, respirasome composition was altered as compared to mixed background mice. Complex IV was mainly present as monomers and dimers, and only low amounts were found in combination with complex I and complex III or with precomplex III. The main supercomplex in the liver mitochondria of C57BL/6 mice comprised only complexes I and III. In conclusion, in liver mitochondria of C57BL/6 mice, supercomplexes had markedly reduced amount of, but were not completely depleted of, complex IV, supporting a role for COX7A2L/SCAFI in supercomplex assembly. However, the disease progression of the Bcs1l mutant mice was unrelated to SCAFI isoforms and supercomplex composition, suggesting that other genetic factors contribute to the different survival in the different genetic backgrounds.

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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
PLoS ONE
volume
11
issue
12
article number
e0168774
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85006900497
  • pmid:27997587
  • wos:000392842900075
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0168774
language
English
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yes
id
799ed6c6-1619-443d-9dcd-15d858481fad
date added to LUP
2017-01-11 14:17:39
date last changed
2024-05-03 17:52:33
@article{799ed6c6-1619-443d-9dcd-15d858481fad,
  abstract     = {{<p>The COX7A2L (Supercomplex Assembly Factor I, SCAFI) protein has been proposed to be a mitochondrial supercomplex assembly factor required for respirasome (supercomplex containing complexes I, III, and IV) formation. In the C57BL/6 mouse strain a homozygous in-frame 6-base-pair deletion in the COX7a2l/SCAF1 gene resulting in unstable protein and suggesting loss of function was previously identified. The loss of SCAFI was shown to impede respirasome formation, a major concern for the use of C57BL mouse strains in mitochondrial research. In contradiction, another recent study suggested that supercomplex formation is independent of SCAFI isoforms. We investigated whether SCAFI isoform status affected the disease severity and supercomplex formation in the liver of Bcs1lc.232A&gt;G knock-in mice with incomplete complex III assembly. In homozygotes (Bcs1lG/G) of mixed (C57BL/6:129/Sv) genetic background, the lifespan was similar in mice with wild-type SCAFI allele and in those homozygous (SCAFIshort/short) for the deleted SCAF1 variant (34-3 days; n = 6 vs. 32-2 days; n = 7, respectively). SCAFI heterozygosity (SCAFIlong/short) resulted in decreased SCAFI protein but respirasome assembly was unaffected. Congenic (C57BL/6) mice were of the genotype SCAFIshort/short and had no detectable SCAFI protein. In their liver mitochondria, respirasome composition was altered as compared to mixed background mice. Complex IV was mainly present as monomers and dimers, and only low amounts were found in combination with complex I and complex III or with precomplex III. The main supercomplex in the liver mitochondria of C57BL/6 mice comprised only complexes I and III. In conclusion, in liver mitochondria of C57BL/6 mice, supercomplexes had markedly reduced amount of, but were not completely depleted of, complex IV, supporting a role for COX7A2L/SCAFI in supercomplex assembly. However, the disease progression of the Bcs1l mutant mice was unrelated to SCAFI isoforms and supercomplex composition, suggesting that other genetic factors contribute to the different survival in the different genetic backgrounds.</p>}},
  author       = {{Davoudi, Mina and Kotarsky, Heike and Hansson, Eva and Kallijarvi, Jukka and Fellman, Vineta}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{12}},
  number       = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS ONE}},
  title        = {{COX7A2L/SCAFI and pre-complex III modify respiratory chain supercomplex formation in different mouse strains with a Bcs1l mutation}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168774}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0168774}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}