Identification of prokaryotic homologues indicates an endosymbiotic origin for the alternative oxidases of mitochondria (AOX) and chloroplasts (PTOX)

Ariane Atteia, Robert van Lis, Jaap J van Hellemond, Aloysius G M Tielens, William Martin, Katrin Henze

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    The alternative oxidase is a ubiquinol oxidase that has been found to date in the mitochondrial respiratory chain of plants, some fungi and protists. Because of its sparse distribution among eukaryotic lineages and because of its diversity in regulatory mechanisms, the origin of AOX has been a mystery, particularly since no prokaryotic homologues have previously been identified. Here we report the identification of a gene encoding a clear homologue of the mitochondrial alternative oxidase in an alpha-proteobacterium, and the identification of three cyanobacterial genes that encode clear homologues of the plastid-specific alternative oxidase of plants and algae. These findings suggest that the eukaryotic nuclear genes for the alternative oxidases of mitochondria and chloroplasts were acquired via endosymbiotic gene transfer from the eubacterial ancestors of these two organelles, respectively.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)143-148
    Number of pages6
    JournalGene
    Volume330
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 14 Apr 2004

    Keywords

    • Alphaproteobacteria
    • Amino Acid Sequence
    • Animals
    • Chloroplasts
    • Cyanobacteria
    • Evolution, Molecular
    • Mitochondria
    • Mitochondrial Proteins
    • Molecular Sequence Data
    • Oxidoreductases
    • Phylogeny
    • Plant Proteins
    • Prokaryotic Cells
    • Salicylamides
    • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
    • Symbiosis

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Identification of prokaryotic homologues indicates an endosymbiotic origin for the alternative oxidases of mitochondria (AOX) and chloroplasts (PTOX)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this