Biochemical and evolutionary aspects of anaerobically functioning mitochondria

Jaap J. Van Hellemond, Anita Van Der Klei, Susanne W.H. Van Weelden, Aloysius G.M. Tielens*, D. S. Horner, W. Martin, T. Cavalier-Smith, J. F. Allen, S. Ferguson, J. Tovar

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

72 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Mitochondria are usually considered to be the powerhouses of the cell and to be responsible for the aerobic production of ATP. However, many eukaryotic organisms are known to possess anaerobically functioning mitochondria, which differ significantly from classical aerobically functioning mitochondria. Recently, functional and phylogenetic studies on some enzymes involved clearly indicated an unexpected evolutionary relationship between these anaerobically functioning mitochondria and the classical aerobic type. Mitochondria evolved by an endosymbiotic event between an anaerobically functioning archaebacterial host and an aerobic α-proteobacterium. However, true anaerobically functioning mitochondria, such as found in parasitic helminths and some lower marine organisms, most likely did not originate directly from the pluripotent ancestral mitochondrion, but arose later in evolution from the aerobic type of mitochondria after these were already adapted to an aerobic way of life by losing their anaerobic capacities. This review will focus on some biochemical and evolutionary aspects of these fermentative mitochondria, with special attention to fumarate reductase, the synthesis of the rhodoquinone involved, and the enzymes involved in acetate production (acetate: succinate CoA-transferase and succinyl CoA-synthetase).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)205-215
Number of pages11
JournalPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume358
Issue number1429
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Jan 2003
Externally publishedYes

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