Redox-Sensitive VDAC: A Possible Function as an Environmental Stress Sensor Revealed by Bioinformatic Analysis.

Andonis Karachitos,Martyna Baranek,Hanna Kmita,Wojciech Grabiński

doi:10.3389/fphys.2021.750627

Andonis Karachitos, Martyna Baranek + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.750627

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Abstract

Voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) allows the exchange of small metabolites and inorganic ions across the mitochondrial outer membrane. It is involved in complex interactions that regulate mitochondrial and cellular functioning. Many organisms have several VDAC paralogs that play distinct but poorly understood roles in the life and death of cells. It is assumed that such a large diversity of VDAC-encoding genes might cause physiological plasticity to cope with abiotic and biotic stresses known to impact mitochondrial function. Moreover, cysteine residues in mammalian VDAC paralogs may contribute to the reduction–oxidation (redox) sensor function based on disulfide bond formation and elimination, resulting in redox-sensitive VDAC (rsVDAC). Therefore, we analyzed whether rsVDAC is possible when only one VDAC variant is present in mitochondria and whether all VDAC paralogs present in mitochondria could be rsVDAC, using representatives of currently available VDAC amino acid sequences. The obtained results indicate that rsVDAC can occur when only one VDAC variant is present in mitochondria; however, the possibility of all VDAC paralogs in mitochondria being rsVDAC is very low. Moreover, the presence of rsVDAC may correlate with habitat conditions as rsVDAC appears to be prevalent in parasites. Thus, the channel may mediate detection and adaptation to environmental conditions.

Highlights

Environmental stress of varying severity always exists in any organism’s habitat
A database (Supplementary File 1) was built using a collection of species categorized by various parameters, such as a type of environment, organism complexity, and the number of Voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) paralogs, including the number and location (N-terminus free) of cysteine residues (Figure 1)
Due to the lack of VDAC paralogs, various aspects of mitochondrial functioning in these organisms depend on the properties of only one VDAC variant

Summary

Introduction

Environmental stress of varying severity always exists in any organism’s habitat. Given the diversity of organisms and their habitats, the diversity may be affected by different environmental conditions. The habitats available within these environments can be characterized by a set of parameters, including light, temperature, pH, atmospheric or hydrostatic pressure, salinity, and oxygen pressure, as well as individual combinations of these parameters (Edery, 2000; Rothschild and Mancinelli, 2001). An environmental factor is determined as stressful based on the organism’s tolerance against it. Abiotic factors such as temperature, radiation, oxygen pressure, and VDAC, Evolution and Environmental Stress changes in water availability can exert stress via disturbances in gas exchange, water management, and nutrient production (Lesser, 2006; Lushchak, 2011; Sokolova et al, 2012; Wang and Komatsu, 2018). The internal conditions of parasitic hosts may constitute a greater constraint upon survival than external conditions (Tinsley, 1999)

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