Jianhua Zhan, Danyun Zeng, Xiong Xiao, Zhongpei Fang, Tao Huang, Beibei Zhao, Qinjun Zhu, Caixiang Liu, Bin Jiang, Xin Zhou, Conggang Li, Lichun He, Daiwen Yang, Maili Liu, Xu Zhang
Cytochrome c (cyt c) is a multifunctional protein with varying conformations. However, the conformation of cyt c in its native environment, mitochondria, is still unclear. Here, we applied NMR spectroscopy to investigate the conformation and location of endogenous cyt c within intact mitochondria at natural isotopic abundance, mainly using widespread methyl groups as probes. By monitoring time-dependent chemical shift perturbations, we observed that most cyt c is located in the inner mitochondrial membrane and partially unfolded, which is distinct from its native conformation in solution...
February 9, 2024: Journal of the American Chemical Society