Identification of camelid specific residues in mitochondrial ATP synthase subunits

F DI ROCCO , A ZAMBELLI , L B ARBELETCHE VIDAL RIOJA

JOURNAL OF BIOENERGETICS AND BIOMEMBRANES

SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS

Año: 2009 vol. 41 p. 223 - 228

0145-479X

Identification of camelid specific residues in mitochondrial ATP synthase subunits Di Rocco F,  Zambelli2 AD, Vidal Rioja1 LB* 1 Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular (IMBICE), CC 403, 1900 La Plata, Argentina. 2 Advanta Semillas, Estación Experimental Balcarce, Ruta 226 km 60.5, 7620 Balcarce,  Argentina. *corresponding author Lidia Vidal Rioja Laboratory of Molecular Genetics Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular PO Box 403, 1900 La Plata, Argentina e-mail:lvidalrioja@imbice.org.ar Abstract F0F1 is an ATP synthase involved in oxidative phosphorylation, and is widely distribute from prokaryotic to eukaryotic cells. In mammals it   comprises at least 16 subunit types from which the mitochondrial encoded ATP6 and ATP8 are essential subunits. Mitochondrial DNA variation has been proposed to be an ideal method  for permitting rapid human and animal adaptation to new climate and dietary conditions (Mishmar et al, 2003) Camelidae taxa are uniquely adapted to the extremely hot and dry climates of African-Asian territories and to the high altitude cold and hypoxic environment of the South American Andean region.Since ATP synthase play a key role  in the energetic metabolism, aminoacid variations in ATP6 and ATP8  in these species  could be related We report here the study of ATP6 and ATP8 mitochondrial genes and the inferred ATP6 and ATP8 amino acid sequence variations which might be associated to the adaptive evolution of these taxa.