Abstract
The respiratory chain alternative enzymes constitute additional pathways to the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system, in which oxygen consumption is uncoupled from ATP production. The expression of alternative oxidases and alternative NADH dehydrogenases from tunicates and fungi in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, in the mouse and in cultured human cells has proven to be benign and to counteract deleterious effects of defective OXPHOS systems, such as the high production of reactive oxygen species. The observed benefits are in paradox with the fact that genes for alternative enzymes were lost independently, early in the evolution of Vertebrata and Arthropoda. We thus propose to investigate the functions of an alternative enzyme from Ciona intestinalis (Tunicata: Ascidiacea), the alternative oxidase (AOX), when expressed in transgenic fruitflies. These organisms will be challenged by thermal and dietetic stress conditions to study mitochondrial metabolism and to evaluate aerobic performance. We will use a variety of molecular biology techniques (including RNA-Seq and high resolution mass spectrometry) to investigate the changes in cell transcriptomics and mitochondrial proteomics, providing data about the physiological alterations caused by AOX and insights into the evolution of the mitochondrial alternative pathways in animals. (AU)
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