Cytochrome c, a hub linking energy, redox, stress and signaling pathways in mitochondria and other cell compartments

WELCHEN E; GONZALEZ DH

PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2016

0031-9317

Cytochrome c (CYTc) is a soluble redox-active heme protein that transferselectrons from complex III to complex IV in the cyanide-sensitive mitochondrialrespiratory pathway. CYTc biogenesis is a complex process that requiresmultiple steps until the mature active protein is obtained. CYTc levels andactivity are finely regulated, revealing the importance of this protein not onlyas electron carrier but also in many other processes. In this article, we describethe role of CYTc in mitochondrial respiration, from its canonical role as electroncarrier for ATP production to its involvement in protein import and thestabilization of respiratory complexes and supercomplexes. In plants, CYTcis connected to the synthesis of the antioxidant ascorbate and the detoxificationof toxic compounds. Finally, CYTc is also a multi-functional signalingmolecule that influences the balance between life and death, acting in energyprovision for cellular functions or triggering programmed cell death. The confluenceof several metabolic routes into a single protein that links redox reactionswith energy producing pathways seems logical from the point of view ofcellular economy, control and organization.