Architecture and Assembly Dynamics of the Essential Mitochondrial TIM Chaperone Systems

Abstract

The mitochondrial Tim chaperones are responsible for the transport of membrane proteins across the inter-membrane space to the inner and outer mitochondrial membranes. TIM9·10, a hexameric 70 kDa protein complex formed by 3 copies of Tim9 and Tim10, guides its clients across the aque- ous compartment. The TIM9·10·12 complex is the anchor point at the inner-membrane insertase complex TIM22. The subunit composition of the TIM9·10·12 complex remains debated. Joint NMR, small-angle X-ray scattering and MD simulation data al- low us to derive a structural model of the TIM9·10·12 assembly, which has a 2:3:1 stoichiometry (Tim9:Tim10:Tim12). We find that both TIM9·10 and TIM9·10·12 hexamers are in a dynamic equilibrium with their constituent subunits, exchanging on a minutes time scale. Residue-resolved NMR data establish that the subunits exhibit large conformational dynamics: when the conserved cysteines of the CX 3 C-X n -CX 3 C motifs are formed, short marginally stable α -helices are formed, and these are fully stabilized only upon formation of the mature hexameric chap- erone. We propose that the continuous subunit exchange is a means of mitochondria to control their level of inter-membrane space chaperones, and thus rapidly adapt to the cellular state.