摘要
Complex I (the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is a complicated, multi-subunit, membrane- bound assembly and contains more than 40 different proteins in higher plants. In this paper, we characterize the Arabidopsis homologue (designated as AtCIB22) of the B22 subunit of eukaryotic mitochondriai Complex I. AtCIB22 is a single-copy gene and is highly con- served throughout eukaryotes. AtCIB22 protein is located in mitochondria and the AtC1B22 gene is widely expressed in different tissues. Mutant Arabidopsis plants with a disrupted AtC1B22 gene display pleiotropic phenotypes including shorter roots, smaller plants and de- layed flowering. Stress analysis indicates that the AtC1B22 mutants' seed germination and early seedling growth are severely inhibited by sucrose deprivation stress but more tolerant to ethanol stress. Molecular analysis reveals that in moderate knockdown AtCIB22 mutants, genes including cell redox proteins and stress related proteins are significantly up-regulated, and that in severe knockdown AtCIB22 mu- tants, the alternative respiratory pathways including NDA1, NDB2, AOXla and AtPUMP1 are remarkably elevated. These data demon- strate that AtCIB22 is essential for plant development and mitochondrial electron transport chains in Arabidopsis. Our findings also en- hance our understanding about the physiological role of Complex I in plants.
Complex I (the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is a complicated, multi-subunit, membrane- bound assembly and contains more than 40 different proteins in higher plants. In this paper, we characterize the Arabidopsis homologue (designated as AtCIB22) of the B22 subunit of eukaryotic mitochondriai Complex I. AtCIB22 is a single-copy gene and is highly con- served throughout eukaryotes. AtCIB22 protein is located in mitochondria and the AtC1B22 gene is widely expressed in different tissues. Mutant Arabidopsis plants with a disrupted AtC1B22 gene display pleiotropic phenotypes including shorter roots, smaller plants and de- layed flowering. Stress analysis indicates that the AtC1B22 mutants' seed germination and early seedling growth are severely inhibited by sucrose deprivation stress but more tolerant to ethanol stress. Molecular analysis reveals that in moderate knockdown AtCIB22 mutants, genes including cell redox proteins and stress related proteins are significantly up-regulated, and that in severe knockdown AtCIB22 mu- tants, the alternative respiratory pathways including NDA1, NDB2, AOXla and AtPUMP1 are remarkably elevated. These data demon- strate that AtCIB22 is essential for plant development and mitochondrial electron transport chains in Arabidopsis. Our findings also en- hance our understanding about the physiological role of Complex I in plants.
基金
supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2009CB941503)