Novel Roles for COX Assembly Factors in Mitochondrial Homeostasis

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Mitochondria are sub-cellular compartments responsible for producing the bulk of the energy our cells need for survival. In addition to their central role in energy production, mitochondria are crucial for programmed cell death, an important component of the life-death balance for every living cell. My lab is focusing on cytochrome oxidase (COX), the terminal electron acceptor of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, the energy-producing machinery. In addition to its protein subunits, COX also requires a host of accessory proteins that provide copper and heme A for enzyme assembly. In the most recent granting period, we have found that Cox17 is more abundant in wild-type stationary phase yeast and that loss of Cox17 results in an inability to induce apoptosis in stationary phase yeast, suggesting for the first time that this small protein, better known as a mitochondrial copper chaperone, may also have role in cellular quality control. In addition, we have found that a lack of assembled COX also leads to an increase in oxidative stress.