Naegleria gruberi is a free-living heterotrophic aerobic amoeba well known for its ability to transform from an amoeba to a flagellate form. The genome of N. gruberi has been recently published, and in silico predictions demonstrated that Naegleria has the capacity for both aerobic respiration and anaerobic biochemistry to produce molecular hydrogen in its mitochondria. This finding was considered to have fundamental implications on the evolution of mitochondrial metabolism and of the last eukaryotic common ancestor. However, no actual experimental data have been shown to support this hypothesis. For this reason, we have decided to investigate the anaerobic metabolism of the mitochondrion of N. gruberi. Using in vivo biochemical assays, we have demonstrated that N. gruberi has indeed a functional [FeFe]-hydrogenase, an enzyme that is attributed to anaerobic organisms. Surprisingly, in contrast to the published predictions, we have demonstrated that hydrogenase is localized exclusively in the cytosol, while no hydrogenase activity was associated with mitochondria of the organism. In addition, cytosolic localization displayed for HydE, a marker component of hydrogenase maturases. Naegleria gruberi, an obligate aerobic organism and one of the earliest eukaryotes, is producing hydrogen, a function that raises questions on the purpose of this pathway for the lifestyle of the organism and potentially on the evolution of eukaryotes.

• Klíčová slova
• Naegleria, hydrogen hypothesis, hydrogenase, maturases, mitochondrial evolution,
• MeSH
• cytosol enzymologie   MeSH
• hydrogenasa genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• mitochondrie genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Naegleria enzymologie   genetika   MeSH
• protozoální proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• vodík metabolismus   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• hydrogenasa MeSH
• protozoální proteiny MeSH
• vodík MeSH

All eukaryotic organisms contain mitochondria or organelles that evolved from the same endosymbiotic event like classical mitochondria. Organisms inhabiting low oxygen environments often contain mitochondrial derivates known as hydrogenosomes, mitosomes or neutrally as mitochondrion-like organelles. The detailed investigation has shown unexpected evolutionary plasticity in the biochemistry and protein composition of these organelles in various protists. We investigated the mitochondrion-like organelle in Trimastix pyriformis, a free-living member of one of the three lineages of anaerobic group Metamonada. Using 454 sequencing we have obtained 7 037 contigs from its transcriptome and on the basis of sequence homology and presence of N-terminal extensions we have selected contigs coding for proteins that putatively function in the organelle. Together with the results of a previous transcriptome survey, the list now consists of 23 proteins - mostly enzymes involved in amino acid metabolism, transporters and maturases of proteins and transporters of metabolites. We have no evidence of the production of ATP in the mitochondrion-like organelle of Trimastix but we have obtained experimental evidence for the presence of enzymes of the glycine cleavage system (GCS), which is part of amino acid metabolism. Using homologous antibody we have shown that H-protein of GCS localizes into vesicles in the cell of Trimastix. When overexpressed in yeast, H- and P-protein of GCS and cpn60 were transported into mitochondrion. In case of H-protein we have demonstrated that the first 16 amino acids are necessary for this transport. Glycine cleavage system is at the moment the only experimentally localized pathway in the mitochondrial derivate of Trimastix pyriformis.

• MeSH
• Eukaryota genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• exprese genu MeSH
• H-protein systému glycinového štěpení genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• mitochondriální proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• mitochondrie metabolismus   MeSH
• multienzymové komplexy genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• organely metabolismus   MeSH
• oxidoreduktasy aminokyselin genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• transferasy genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• transportní proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• glycine cleavage system MeSH Prohlížeč
• H-protein systému glycinového štěpení MeSH
• mitochondriální proteiny MeSH
• multienzymové komplexy MeSH
• oxidoreduktasy aminokyselin MeSH
• transferasy MeSH
• transportní proteiny MeSH