Assembly of mitochondrial ATP synthase in cultured human cells: implications for mitochondrial diseases

To study the assembly of mitochondrial F1F0 ATP synthase, cultured human cells were labeled with [35S]methionine in pulse-chase experiments. Next, two-dimensional electrophoresis and fluorography were used to analyze the assembly pattern. Two assembly intermediates could be demonstrated. First the F1 part appeared to be assembled, and next an intermediate product that contained F1 and subunit c. This product probably also contained subunits b, F6 and OSCP, but not the mitochondrially encoded subunits a and A6L. Both intermediate complexes accumulated when mitochondrial protein synthesis was inhibited, suggesting that mitochondrially encoded subunits are indispensable for the formation of a fully assembled ATP synthase complex, but not for the formation of the intermediate complexes. The results and methods described in this study offer an approach to study the effects of mutations in subunits of mitochondrial ATP synthase on the assembly of this complex. This might be of value for a better understanding of deficiencies of ATP synthase activity in mitochrondrial diseases.