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Respiratory supercomplexes enhance electron transport by decreasing cytochrome c diffusion distance
Author(s) -
Berndtsson Jens,
Kohler Andreas,
Rathore Sorbhi,
MarinBuera Lorena,
Dawitz Hannah,
Diessl Jutta,
Kohler Verena,
Barrientos Antoni,
Büttner Sabrina,
Fontanesi Flavia,
Ott Martin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
embo reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.584
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1469-3178
pISSN - 1469-221X
DOI - 10.15252/embr.202051015
Subject(s) - electron transport chain , respiratory chain , biophysics , cellular respiration , electron transfer , cytochrome c , biology , cytochrome b , protein subunit , chemistry , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , mitochondrion , gene , photochemistry , mitochondrial dna
Respiratory chains are crucial for cellular energy conversion and consist of multi‐subunit complexes that can assemble into supercomplexes. These structures have been intensively characterized in various organisms, but their physiological roles remain unclear. Here, we elucidate their function by leveraging a high‐resolution structural model of yeast respiratory supercomplexes that allowed us to inhibit supercomplex formation by mutation of key residues in the interaction interface. Analyses of a mutant defective in supercomplex formation, which still contains fully functional individual complexes, show that the lack of supercomplex assembly delays the diffusion of cytochrome c between the separated complexes, thus reducing electron transfer efficiency. Consequently, competitive cellular fitness is severely reduced in the absence of supercomplex formation and can be restored by overexpression of cytochrome c . In sum, our results establish how respiratory supercomplexes increase the efficiency of cellular energy conversion, thereby providing an evolutionary advantage for aerobic organisms.