PLANT UNCOUPLING MITOCHONDRIAL PROTEIN 2 localizes to the Golgi

Abstract

Mitochondria act as cellular hubs of energy transformation and metabolite conversion in most ukaryotes. Plant mitochondrial electron transport chains are particularly flexible, featuring components that can bypass proton translocation steps, such as ALTERNATIVE NAD(P)H DEHYDROGENASES and ALTERNATIVE OXIDASES (AOXs). PLANT UNCOUPLING MITOCHONDRIAL PROTEINS (PUMPs or plant UNCOUPLING PROTEINS [UCPs]) have been identified in plants as homologs of mammalian UCPs, and their physiological roles have been investigated in the context of mitochondrial energy metabolism. To dissect UCP function in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the 2 most conserved family members, UCP1 and UCP2, have been genetically ablated assuming that they both reside in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Yet, contradicting results have been reported on plant UCP2 localization.