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Original Article |
Correspondence to: Stefan Grimm, Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18a, 82152 Martinsried, Germany. Tel:49-89-8578-2219 Fax:49-89-8578-3888 E-mail:sgrimm{at}biochem.mpg.de.
Here, we describe the isolation of adenine nucleotide translocase-1 (ANT-1) in a screen for dominant, apoptosis-inducing genes. ANT-1 is a component of the mitochondrial permeability transition complex, a protein aggregate connecting the inner with the outer mitochondrial membrane that has recently been implicated in apoptosis. ANT-1 expression led to all features of apoptosis, such as phenotypic alterations, collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, caspase activation, and DNA degradation. Both point mutations that impair ANT-1 in its known activity to transport ADP and ATP as well as the NH2-terminal half of the protein could still induce apoptosis. Interestingly, ANT-2, a highly homologous protein could not lead to cell death, demonstrating the specificity of the signal for apoptosis induction. In contrast to Bax, a proapoptotic Bcl-2 gene, ANT-1 was unable to elicit a form of cell death in yeast. This and the observed repression of apoptosis by the ANT-1interacting protein cyclophilin D suggest that the suicidal effect of ANT-1 is mediated by specific proteinprotein interactions within the permeability transition pore.
Key Words: cell death, ATP transport, transfection, apoptosis, membrane potential
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