3D gel map of Arabidopsis complex I

• Main Authors: Katrin ePeters, Katharina eBelt, Hans-Peter eBraun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2013-06-01
• Series: Frontiers in Plant Science
• Subjects: Mitochondria; NADH Dehydrogenase; Arabidopsis thaliana; respiratory chain; OXPHOS system; blue native
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpls.2013.00153/full
• ISSN: 1664-462X

Complex I has a unique structure in plants and includes extra subunits. Here, we present a novel study to define its protein constituents. Mitochondria were isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana cell cultures, leaves and roots. Subunits of complex I were resolved by 3D blue native (BN)/SDS/SDS-PAGE and identified by mass spectrometry. Overall, 55 distinct proteins were found, 7 of which occur in pairs of isoforms. We present evidence that Arabidopsis complex I consists of 49 distinct types of subunits, 40 of which represent homologues of bovine complex I. The 9 other subunits represent special proteins absent in the animal linage of eukaryotes, most prominently a group of subunits related to bacterial gamma-type carbonic anhydrases. A GelMap (http://www.gelmap.de/arabidopsis-3d-complex-i/) is presented for promoting future complex I research in Arabidosis thaliana.