Cell· 2026Q1
Mitochondrial proteome of Acanthamoeba delineates aerobic and anaerobic pathways dynamically regulated by oxygen
- 4citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Acanthamoeba castellanii mitochondria contain 1,122 proteins, including 381 unique to this organism, and exhibit dynamic rewiring of energy metabolism between aerobic and anaerobic pathways regulated by oxygen levels.
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Key points
- A high-confidence inventory (AcMitoCarta) of 1,122 proteins from Acanthamoeba castellanii mitochondria was generated.
- 381 proteins identified in AcMitoCarta lack readily identifiable homologs in human and yeast mitochondria.
- Complexome analysis revealed 20 macromolecular assemblies within the mitochondria.
- Oxygen dynamically regulates mitochondrial bioenergetic machinery, inducing an anaerobic pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase-to-hydrogenase pathway under anoxia.
- Acanthamoeba mitochondria were shown to produce H2 gas via an oxygen-labile hydrogenase under anoxic conditions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Acanthamoeba castellanii causes infectious blindness and resides in a key evolutionary outgroup to humans and fungi. Its divergent mitochondria are of outstanding interest due to their predicted aerobic and anaerobic functions with potential for drug targeting. However, a detailed delineation of its bioenergetic machinery, its activities, and their regulation remains lacking. Here, we integrate mitochondrial immunoprecipitation, density gradient purification, mass spectrometry, protein correlation profiling, and microscopy to generate a high-confidence inventory of the Acanthamoeba mitoproteome. The resulting AcMitoCarta contains 1,122 proteins, including 381 lacking readily identifiable homologs in human and yeast mitochondria. Complexome analysis highlights 20 macromolecular assemblies. Complementary proteomic and transcriptomic profiling reveals extensive rewiring of the organelle's bioenergetic machinery by oxygen, including induction of an anaerobic pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase-to-hydrogenase pathway under anoxia. We experimentally demonstrate that Acanthamoeba can produce H 2 gas under anoxic conditions via a mitochondria-localized, oxygen-labile hydrogenase. AcMitoCarta establishes a framework for dissecting the interplay between aerobic and anaerobic energy metabolism.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Cell, 2026 · DOI ↗
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EndocrinologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology