MT-ND5 is a

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

of the

mitochondrial genome Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

coding for the NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 5

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

(ND5). The ND5 protein is a subunit of

NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) Respiratory complex I, (also known as NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, Type I NADH dehydrogenase and mitochondrial complex I) is the first large protein complex of the respiratory chains of many organisms from bacteria to humans. It catalyzes the ...

, which is located in the

mitochondrial inner membrane The inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) is the mitochondrial membrane which separates the mitochondrial matrix from the intermembrane space. Structure The structure of the inner mitochondrial membrane is extensively folded and compartmentalized. ...

and is the largest of the five complexes of the

electron transport chain An electron transport chain (ETC) is a series of protein complexes and other molecules that transfer electrons from electron donors to electron acceptors via redox reactions (both reduction and oxidation occurring simultaneously) and couples th ...

. Variations in human MT-ND5 are associated with

mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is one of the family of mitochondrial diseases, which also include MIDD (maternally inherited diabetes and deafness, MERRF syndrome, and Leber's hereditary optic neu ...

(MELAS) as well as some symptoms of

Leigh's syndrome Leigh syndrome (also called Leigh disease and subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy) is an inherited neurometabolic disorder that affects the central nervous system. It is named after Archibald Denis Leigh, a British neuropsychiatrist who fir ...

and

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a mitochondrially inherited (transmitted from mother to offspring) degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons that leads to an acute or subacute loss of central vision; it predomin ...

(LHON).

Structure

MT-ND5 is located in mitochondrial DNA from base pair 12,337 to 14,148. The MT-ND5 gene produces a 67 kDa protein composed of 603 amino acids. MT-ND5 is one of seven mitochondrial genes encoding subunits of the enzyme

, together with

MT-ND1 MT-ND1 is a gene of the mitochondrial genome coding for the NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 1 (ND1) protein. The ND1 protein is a subunit of NADH dehydrogenase, which is located in the mitochondrial inner membrane and is the largest of ...

MT-ND2 MT-ND2 is a gene of the mitochondrial genome coding for the NADH dehydrogenase 2 (ND2) protein. The ND2 protein is a subunit of NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone), which is located in the mitochondrial inner membrane and is the largest of the fiv ...

MT-ND3 MT-ND3 is a gene of the mitochondrial genome coding for the NADH dehydrogenase 3 (ND3) protein. The ND3 protein is a subunit of NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone), which is located in the mitochondrial inner membrane and is the largest of the fiv ...

MT-ND4 MT-ND4 is a gene of the mitochondrial genome coding for the NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 4 (ND4) protein. The ND4 protein is a subunit of NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone), which is located in the mitochondrial inner membrane and is the l ...

MT-ND4L MT-ND4L is a gene of the mitochondrial genome coding for the NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 4L (ND4L) protein. The ND4L protein is a subunit of NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone), which is located in the mitochondrial inner membrane and is ...

, and

MT-ND6 MT-ND6 is a gene of the mitochondrial genome coding for the NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 6 protein (ND6). The ND6 protein is a subunit of NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone), which is located in the mitochondrial inner membrane and is the la ...

. Also known as

Complex I Respiratory complex I, (also known as NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, Type I NADH dehydrogenase and mitochondrial complex I) is the first large protein complex of the Electron transport chain, respiratory chains of many organisms from bacteria to ...

, this enzyme is the largest of the respiratory complexes. The structure is L-shaped with a long,

hydrophobic In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is seemingly repelled from a mass of water (known as a hydrophobe). In contrast, hydrophiles are attracted to water. Hydrophobic molecules tend to be nonpolar and, th ...

transmembrane A transmembrane protein (TP) is a type of integral membrane protein that spans the entirety of the cell membrane. Many transmembrane proteins function as gateways to permit the transport of specific substances across the membrane. They frequentl ...

domain and a

hydrophilic A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. In contrast, hydrophobes are no ...

domain for the peripheral arm that includes all the known redox centres and the NADH binding site. MT-ND5 and the rest of the mitochondrially encoded subunits are the most hydrophobic of the subunits of Complex I and form the core of the transmembrane region.

Function

The MT-ND5 product is a subunit of the respiratory chain

that is supposed to belong to the minimal assembly of core proteins required to catalyze

NADH Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a coenzyme central to metabolism. Found in all living cells, NAD is called a dinucleotide because it consists of two nucleotides joined through their phosphate groups. One nucleotide contains an aden ...

dehydrogenation and

electron transfer Electron transfer (ET) occurs when an electron relocates from an atom or molecule to another such chemical entity. ET is a mechanistic description of certain kinds of redox reactions involving transfer of electrons. Electrochemical processes ar ...

ubiquinone Coenzyme Q, also known as ubiquinone and marketed as CoQ10, is a coenzyme family that is ubiquitous in animals and most bacteria (hence the name ubiquinone). In humans, the most common form is coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone-10. It is a 1,4-benzoq ...

(coenzyme Q10). Initially,

binds to Complex I and transfers two electrons to the

isoalloxazine ring Flavins (from Latin ''flavus'', "yellow") are organic compounds, like their base, pteridine. They are formed by the tricyclic heterocycle isoalloxazine. The biochemical source is the vitamin riboflavin. The flavin moiety is often attached with ...

of the

flavin mononucleotide Flavin mononucleotide (FMN), or riboflavin-5′-phosphate, is a biomolecule produced from riboflavin (vitamin B2) by the enzyme riboflavin kinase and functions as the prosthetic group of various oxidoreductases, including NADH dehydrogenase, as ...

(FMN) prosthetic arm to form FMNH₂. The electrons are transferred through a series of iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters in the prosthetic arm and finally to coenzyme Q10 (CoQ), which is reduced to

ubiquinol A ubiquinol is an electron-rich (reduced) form of coenzyme Q (ubiquinone). The term most often refers to ubiquinol-10, with a 10-unit tail most commonly found in humans. The natural ubiquinol form of coenzyme Q is 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-poly ...

(CoQH₂). The flow of electrons changes the redox state of the protein, resulting in a conformational change and p''K'' shift of the ionizable side chain, which pumps four hydrogen ions out of the mitochondrial matrix.

Clinical Significance

A small percentage of

(MELAS) are caused by a G>A mutation at base pair 13513 in the MT-ND5 gene. Mutations in the MT-ND5 gene cause impaired

function of the mitochondrial electron transport system, impairing those tissues that require significant energy input, such as the brain and muscles. Cardiac and renal involvement as well as symptoms such as

myopathy In medicine, myopathy is a disease of the muscle in which the muscle fibers do not function properly. This results in muscular weakness. ''Myopathy'' means muscle disease (Greek : myo- ''muscle'' + patheia '' -pathy'' : ''suffering''). This meani ...

and

lactic acidosis Lactic acidosis is a medical condition characterized by a build-up of lactate (especially -lactate) in the body, with formation of an excessively low pH in the bloodstream. It is a form of metabolic acidosis, in which excessive acid accumulates ...

can also be observed. Those with MT-ND5 mutations can display the major features of MELAS and MERRF in some patients, as well as symptoms of

and/or

(LHON) in others.

Interactions

MT-ND5 interacts with

Glutamine synthetase Glutamine synthetase (GS) () is an enzyme that plays an essential role in the metabolism of nitrogen by catalyzing the condensation of glutamate and ammonia to form glutamine: Glutamate + Adenosine triphosphate, ATP + NH3 → Glutamine + Ad ...

(GLUL),

LIG4 DNA ligase 4 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the LIG4 gene. Function The protein encoded by this gene is an ATP-dependent DNA ligase that joins double-strand breaks during the non-homologous end joining pathway of double-strand break ...

and YME1L1.

References

External links

Mass spectrometry characterization of MT-ND5 at COPaKB

GeneReviews/NCBI/NIH/UW entry on Mitochondrial DNA-Associated Leigh Syndrome and NARP
{{NLM content Proteins Human mitochondrial genes