同呼吸共命运:线粒体呼吸链超级复合物

新陈代谢——物质代谢和能量代谢——是生命最基本的特征之一。总体上,从能量流动的方向来说,能量代谢可以分为两类:光合作用(储存化学能)和呼吸作用(利用化学能)。一直以来,呼吸作用的媒介和机制问题都是科学家关注的重要研究课题,人们对它们的认知也在不断更新和进步。清华大学杨茂君教授研究组对呼吸作用的载体——呼吸体蛋白超级复合物的结构生物学研究,向我们展示了细胞内这个复杂而又精妙的生物能量转换器的全貌,不但让我们更真切地领略到了大自然之鬼斧神工,也为治疗多种与线粒体功能紊乱有关的疾病提供了药物设计及筛选的生物学基础。

Structure,function and organization of mitochondrial respiratory chain

Metabolism, including substance metabolism and energy metabolism, is one of the basic features of all living creatures.The mechanism and executor of energy metabolism were the tempting high spots of biochemical and structural researches, which have been gratifyingly accumulating through a long span of history. From identifying the respiratory chain elements to recognize the respirasome, which is believed to be the executor of cell respiration, scientists have gradually unveiled the secrets of energy metabolism. Most recently, Professor Yang from Tsinghua University has solved the 5.4 Å resolution structure of respirasome from porcine heart, assigning firstly the accurate position of most amino acid residues, presenting the detailed interaction within this huge molecular machine and providing important structural information for drug design and screening. In this review, the detoured history of respirasome recognition is introduced, and the amazing structure of respirasome is then described.