Rapid degeneration of iPSC-derived motor neurons lacking Gdap1 engages a mitochondrial-sustained innate immune response.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a chronic hereditary motor and sensory polyneuropathy targeting Schwann cells and/or motor neurons. Its multifactorial and polygenic origin portrays a complex clinical phenotype of the disease with a wide range of genetic inheritance patterns. The disease-associated gene GDAP1 encodes for a mitochondrial outer membrane protein. Mouse and insect models with mutations in Gdap1 have reproduced several traits of the human disease. However, the precise function in the cell types affected by the disease remains unknown. Here, we use induced-pluripotent stem cells derived from a Gdap1 knockout mouse model to better understand the molecular and cellular phenotypes of the disease caused by the loss-of-function of this gene. Gdap1-null motor neurons display a fragile cell phenotype prone to early degeneration showing (1) altered mitochondrial morphology, with an increase in the fragmentation of these organelles, (2) activation of autophagy and mitophagy, (3) abnormal metabolism, characterized by a downregulation of Hexokinase 2 and ATP5b proteins, (4) increased reactive oxygen species and elevated mitochondrial membrane potential, and (5) increased innate immune response and p38 MAP kinase activation. Our data reveals the existence of an underlying Redox-inflammatory axis fueled by altered mitochondrial metabolism in the absence of Gdap1. As this biochemical axis encompasses a wide variety of druggable targets, our results may have implications for developing therapies using combinatorial pharmacological approaches and improving therefore human welfare. A Redox-immune axis underlying motor neuron degeneration caused by the absence of Gdap1. Our results show that Gdap1-/- motor neurons have a fragile cellular phenotype that is prone to degeneration. Gdap1-/- iPSCs differentiated into motor neurons showed an altered metabolic state: decreased glycolysis and increased OXPHOS. These alterations may lead to hyperpolarization of mitochondria and increased ROS levels. Excessive amounts of ROS might be the cause of increased mitophagy, p38 activation and inflammation as a cellular response to oxidative stress. The p38 MAPK pathway and the immune response may, in turn, have feedback mechanisms, leading to the induction of apoptosis and senescence, respectively. CAC, citric acid cycle; ETC, electronic transport chain; Glc, glucose; Lac, lactate; Pyr, pyruvate.

Adult Neural Stem Cell Migration Is Impaired in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Neurogenesis in the adult brain takes place in two neurogenic niches: the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) and the subgranular zone. After differentiation, neural precursor cells (neuroblasts) have to move to an adequate position, a process known as neuronal migration. Some studies show that in Alzheimer's disease, the adult neurogenesis is impaired. Our main aim was to investigate some proteins involved both in the physiopathology of Alzheimer's disease and in the neuronal migration process using the APP/PS1 Alzheimer's mouse model. Progenitor migrating cells are accumulated in the V-SVZ of the APP/PS1 mice. Furthermore, we find an increase of Cdh1 levels and a decrease of Cdk5/p35 and cyclin B1, indicating that these cells have an alteration of the cell cycle, which triggers a senescence state. We find less cells in the rostral migratory stream and less mature neurons in the olfactory bulbs from APP/PS1 mice, leading to an impaired odour discriminatory ability compared with WT mice. Alzheimer's disease mice present a deficit in cell migration from V-SVZ due to a senescent phenotype. Therefore, these results can contribute to a new approach of Alzheimer's based on senolytic compounds or pro-neurogenic factors.

Corrigendum: Intraventricular injections of mesenchymal stem cells activate endogenous functional remyelination in a chronic demyelinating murine model.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2016.130.

Gene expression network analysis reveals new transcriptional regulators as novel factors in human ischemic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) is characterized by transcriptomic changes that alter cellular processes leading to decreased cardiac output. Because the molecular network of ICM is largely unknown, the aim of this study was to characterize the role of new transcriptional regulators in the molecular mechanisms underlying the responses to ischemia. METHODS: Myocardial tissue explants from ICM patients and control (CNT) subjects were analyzed by RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) and quantitative Real-Time PCR. RESULTS: Enrichment analysis of the ICM transcriptomic profile allowed the characterization of novel master regulators. We found that the expression of the transcriptional regulators SP100 (-1.5-fold, p < 0.05), CITED2 (-3.8-fold, p < 0.05), CEBPD (-4.9-fold, p < 0.05) and BCL3 (-3.3-fold, p < 0.05) were lower in ICM than in CNT. To gain insights into the molecular network defined by the transcription factors, we identified CEBPD, BCL3, and HIF1A target genes in the RNA-Seq datasets. We further characterized the biological processes of the target genes by gene ontology annotation. Our results suggest that CEBPD-inducible genes with roles in the inhibition of apoptosis are downregulated and that BCL3-repressible genes are involved in the regulation of cellular metabolism in ICM. Moreover, our results suggest that CITED2 downregulation causes increased expression of HIF1A target genes. Functional analysis of HIF1A target genes revealed that hypoxic and stress response genes are activated in ICM. Finally, we found a significant correlation between the mRNA levels of BCL3 and the mRNA levels of both CEBPD (r = 0.73, p < 0.001) and CITED2 (r = 0.56, p < 0.05). Interestingly, CITED2 mRNA levels are directly related to ejection fraction (EF) (r = 0.54, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that changes in the expression of SP100, CITED2, CEBPD, and BCL3 affect their transcription regulatory networks, which subsequently alter a number of biological processes in ICM patients. The relationship between CITED2 mRNA levels and EF emphasizes the importance of this transcription factor in ICM. Moreover, our findings identify new mechanisms used to interpret gene expression changes in ICM and provide valuable resources for further investigation of the molecular basis of human cardiac ischemic response.

ATP synthase subunit alpha and LV mass in ischaemic human hearts.

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a critical role in the development of ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). In this study, the mitochondrial proteome in the cardiac tissue of ICM patients was analysed by quantitative differential electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and mass spectrometry (MS) for the first time to provide new insights into cardiac dysfunction in this cardiomyopathy. We isolated mitochondria from LV samples of explanted hearts of ICM patients (n = 8) and control donors (n = 8) and used a proteomic approach to investigate the variations in mitochondrial protein expression. We found that most of the altered proteins were involved in cardiac energy metabolism (82%). We focused on ATPA, which is involved in energy production, and dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase, implicated in substrate utilization, and observed that these molecules were overexpressed and that the changes detected in the processes mediated by these proteins were closely related. Notably, we found that ATPA overexpression was associated with reduction in LV mass (r = -0.74, P < 0.01). We also found a substantial increase in the expression of elongation factor Tu, a molecule implicated in protein synthesis, and PRDX3, involved in the stress response. All of these changes were validated using classical techniques and by using novel and precise selected reaction monitoring analysis and an RNA sequencing approach, with the total heart samples being increased to 24. This study provides key insights that enhance our understanding of the cellular mechanisms related to the pathophysiology of ICM and could lead to the development of aetiology-specific heart failure therapies. ATPA could serve as a molecular target suitable for new therapeutic interventions.

Heart mitochondrial proteome study elucidates changes in cardiac energy metabolism and antioxidant PRDX3 in human dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a public health problem with no available curative treatment, and mitochondrial dysfunction plays a critical role in its development. The present study is the first to analyze the mitochondrial proteome in cardiac tissue of patients with DCM to identify potential molecular targets for its therapeutic intervention. METHODS AND RESULTS: 16 left ventricular (LV) samples obtained from explanted human hearts with DCM (n = 8) and control donors (n = 8) were extracted to perform a proteomic approach to investigate the variations in mitochondrial protein expression. The proteome of the samples was analyzed by quantitative differential electrophoresis and Mass Spectrometry. These changes were validated by classical techniques and by novel and precise selected reaction monitoring analysis and RNA sequencing approach increasing the total heart samples up to 25. We found significant alterations in energy metabolism, especially in molecules involved in substrate utilization (ODPA, ETFD, DLDH), energy production (ATPA), other metabolic pathways (AL4A1) and protein synthesis (EFTU), obtaining considerable and specific relationships between the alterations detected in these processes. Importantly, we observed that the antioxidant PRDX3 overexpression is associated with impaired ventricular function. PRDX3 is significantly related to LV end systolic and diastolic diameter (r = 0.73, p value<0.01; r = 0.71, p value<0.01), fractional shortening, and ejection fraction (r = -0.61, p value<0.05; and r = -0.62, p value<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: This work could be a pivotal study to gain more knowledge on the cellular mechanisms related to the pathophysiology of this disease and may lead to the development of etiology-specific heart failure therapies. We suggest new molecular targets for therapeutic interventions, something that up to now has been lacking.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress induces different molecular structural alterations in human dilated and ischemic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a multifunctional organelle responsible for the synthesis and folding of proteins as well as for signalling and calcium storage, that has been linked to the contraction-relaxation process. Perturbations of its homeostasis activate a stress response in diseases such as heart failure (HF). To elucidate the alterations in ER molecular components, we analyze the levels of ER stress and structure proteins in human dilated (DCM) and ischemic (ICM) cardiomyopathies, and its relationship with patient's functional status. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined 52 explanted human hearts from DCM (n = 21) and ICM (n = 21) subjects and 10 non-failing hearts as controls. Our results showed specific changes in stress (IRE1, p<0.05; p-IRE1, p<0.05) and structural (Reticulon 1, p<0.01) protein levels. The stress proteins GRP78, XBP1 and ATF6 as well as the structural proteins RRBP1, kinectin, and Nogo A and B, were upregulated in both DCM and ICM patients. Immunofluorescence results were concordant with quantified Western blot levels. Moreover, we show a novel relationship between stress and structural proteins. RRBP1, involved in procollagen synthesis and remodeling, was related with left ventricular function. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we report the existence of alterations in ER stress response and shaping proteins. We show a plausible effect of the ER stress on ER structure in a suitable sample of DCM and ICM subjects. Patients with higher values of RRBP1 had worse left ventricular function.

Functional networks of nucleocytoplasmic transport-related genes differentiate ischemic and dilated cardiomyopathies. A new therapeutic opportunity.

Heart failure provokes alterations in the expression of nucleocytoplasmic transport-related genes. To elucidate the nucleocytoplasmic transport-linked functional network underlying the two major causes of heart failure, ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), we examined global transcriptome profiles of left ventricular myocardium tissue samples from 31 patients (ICM, n = 10; DCM, n = 13) undergoing heart transplantation and control donors (CNT, n = 8) using RNA-Sequencing and GeneMANIA. Comparative profiling of ICM versus control and DCM versus control showed 1081 and 2440 differentially expressed genes, respectively (>1.29-fold; P<0.05). GeneMANIA revealed differentially regulated functional networks specific to ICM and DCM. In comparison with CNT, differential expression was seen in 9 and 12 nucleocytoplasmic transport-related genes in ICM and DCM groups, respectively. DDX3X, KPNA2, and PTK2B were related to ICM, while SMURF2, NUP153, IPO5, RANBP3, NOXA1, and RHOJ were involved in DCM pathogenesis. Furthermore, the two pathologies shared 6 altered genes: XPO1, ARL4, NFKB2, FHL3, RANBP2, and RHOU showing an identical trend in expression in both ICM and DCM. Notably, the core of the derived functional networks composed of nucleocytoplasmic transport-related genes (XPO1, RANBP2, NUP153, IPO5, KPNA2, and RANBP3) branched into several pathways with downregulated genes. Moreover, we identified genes whose expression levels correlated with left ventricular mass index and left ventricular function parameters in HF patients. Collectively, our study provides a clear distinction between the two pathologies at the transcriptome level and opens up new possibilities to search for appropriate therapeutic targets for ICM and DCM.

RNA-sequencing analysis reveals new alterations in cardiomyocyte cytoskeletal genes in patients with heart failure.

Changes in cardiomyocyte cytoskeletal components, a crucial scaffold of cellular structure, have been found in heart failure (HF); however, the altered cytoskeletal network remains to be elucidated. This study investigated a new map of cytoskeleton-linked alterations that further explain the cardiomyocyte morphology and contraction disruption in HF. RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis was performed in 29 human LV tissue samples from ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM; n=13) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM, n=10) patients undergoing cardiac transplantation and six healthy donors (control, CNT) and up to 16 ICM, 13 DCM and 7 CNT tissue samples for qRT-PCR. Gene Ontology analysis of RNA-Seq data demonstrated that cytoskeletal processes are altered in HF. We identified 60 differentially expressed cytoskeleton-related genes in ICM and 58 genes in DCM comparing with CNT, hierarchical clustering determined that shared cytoskeletal genes have a similar behavior in both pathologies. We further investigated MYLK4, RHOU, and ANKRD1 cytoskeletal components. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that MYLK4 was downregulated (-2.2-fold; P<0.05) and ANKRD1 was upregulated (2.3-fold; P<0.01) in ICM patients vs CNT. RHOU mRNA levels showed a statistical trend to decrease (-2.9-fold). In DCM vs CNT, MYLK4 (-4.0-fold; P<0.05) and RHOU (-3.9-fold; P<0.05) were downregulated and ANKRD1 (2.5-fold; P<0.05) was upregulated. Accordingly, MYLK4 and ANKRD1 protein levels were decreased and increased, respectively, in both diseases. Furthermore, ANKRD1 and RHOU mRNA levels were related with LV function (P<0.05). In summary, we have found a new map of changes in the ICM and DCM cardiomyocyte cytoskeleton. ANKRD1 and RHOU mRNA levels were related with LV function which emphasizes their relevance in HF. These new cytoskeletal changes may be responsible for altered contraction and cell architecture disruption in HF patients. Moreover, these results improve our knowledge on the role of cytoskeleton in functional and structural alterations in HF.

RNA sequencing analysis and atrial natriuretic peptide production in patients with dilated and ischemic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: The atrium is the major site of ANP synthesis, which has been said to increase in heart failure as a result of increased production in the left ventricular (LV) myocardium. This is a key issue related to its diagnostic and prognostic capabilities. We aimed to evaluate protein levels of proANP and ANP and the enzymes that cleave the natriuretic peptides, corin and furin, in the LV tissue of heart transplant patients with dilated (DCM) and ischemic (ICM) cardiomyopathy compared with control donors (CNT). We also evaluate mRNA levels of ANP gene (NPPA) by RNA sequencing in the same tissue. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seventy-three human LV tissue samples from ICM (n=30) and DCM (n=33) patients and CNT (n=10) were analyzed by Western blot and RNA sequencing. Comparing protein levels according to etiology, neither DCM nor ICM showed levels of proANP or ANP different from those of CNT. However, NPPA was increased in both groups compared to CNT (DCM 32 fold, p<0.0001; ICM 10 fold, p<0.0001). Corin (but not furin) was elevated in the ICM group compared to CNT (112 ± 24 vs. 100 ± 7, p<0.05), and its level was inversely related with LV ejection fraction (LVEF) (r=-0.399, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients present with elevated levels of NPPA but not of proANP or ANP proteins in LV tissue, which may be due to posttranscripcional regulation of NPPA or different pathways for ANP secretion between the atrium and ventricle. Moreover, there are differences between DCM and ICM in corin levels, indicating that a different molecular mechanism may exist that converge in this syndrome. Further, LV concentration of corin is inversely related to LVEF in ICM.

Differential gene expression of cardiac ion channels in human dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by idiopathic dilation and systolic contractile dysfunction of the cardiac chambers. The present work aimed to study the alterations in gene expression of ion channels involved in cardiomyocyte function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Microarray profiling using the Affymetrix Human Gene® 1.0 ST array was performed using 17 RNA samples, 12 from DCM patients undergoing cardiac transplantation and 5 control donors (CNT). The analysis focused on 7 cardiac ion channel genes, since this category has not been previously studied in human DCM. SCN2B was upregulated, while KCNJ5, KCNJ8, CLIC2, CLCN3, CACNB2, and CACNA1C were downregulated. The RT-qPCR (21 DCM and 8 CNT samples) validated the gene expression of SCN2B (p < 0.0001), KCNJ5 (p < 0.05), KCNJ8 (p < 0.05), CLIC2 (p < 0.05), and CACNB2 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we performed an IPA analysis and we found a functional relationship between the different ion channels studied in this work. CONCLUSION: This study shows a differential expression of ion channel genes involved in cardiac contraction in DCM that might partly underlie the changes in left ventricular function observed in these patients. These results could be the basis for new genetic therapeutic approaches.

Optimised protocols for the metabolic profiling of S. cerevisiae by 1H-NMR and HRMAS spectroscopy.

An optimised extraction protocol for the analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae aqueous and organic metabolites by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy that allows the identification and quantification of up to 50 different compounds is presented. The method was compared with other metabolic profiling protocols for S. cerevisiae, where generally different analytical techniques are applied for metabolite quantification. In addition, the analysis of intact S. cerevisiae cells by HRMAS was implemented for the first time as a complementary method. The optimised protocols were applied to study the metabolic effect of glucose and galactose on S. cerevisiae growth. Furthermore, the metabolic reaction of S. cerevisiae to osmotic stress has been studied.

Heart failure entails significant changes in human nucleocytoplasmic transport gene expression.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) induces alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, which is essential to the cardiomyocyte biology. The objective of this study was to analyze the changes in gene expression in human HF, particularly focusing on nucleocytoplasmic transport-related genes. METHODS AND RESULTS: 29 RNA heart samples from dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM, n = 12) and ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM, n = 12) patients undergoing heart transplantation and control donors (CNT, n = 5) were extracted to perform a microarray profiling using Affymetrix Human Gene® 1.0 ST arrays. We focused on the study of 5 nucleocytoplasmic transport-related genes, since this functional category has not previously been studied in HF. XPO1, GABPB2, and RANBP17 were upregulated, while KALRN was downregulated in both DCM and ICM, and XPO5 only in DCM. Validation of the results by RT-qPCR increasing the total heart samples up to 41 showed a high degree of consistency with microarray results. Moreover, we observed a strong relationship between the XPO1 mRNA and robust left ventricular function parameters in ICM: left ventricular end-systolic (r = 0.81, p<0.0001) and end-diastolic diameters (r = 0.80, p<0.0001), and ejection fraction (r = -0.57, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We show that the expression of nucleocytoplasmic transport-related genes is altered in HF. Furthermore, XPO1 mRNA level is closely related with robust left ventricular function parameters in ICM patients. These changes may help to distinguish DCM and ICM in HF at the level of the transcriptome and provide a base for novel therapeutic approaches.

Heart failure induces significant changes in nuclear pore complex of human cardiomyocytes.

AIMS: The objectives of this study were to analyse the effect of heart failure (HF) on several proteins of nuclear pore complex (NPC) and their relationship with the human ventricular function. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 88 human heart samples from ischemic (ICM, n = 52) and dilated (DCM, n = 36) patients undergoing heart transplant and control donors (CNT, n = 9) were analyzed by Western blot. Subcellular distribution of nucleoporins was analysed by fluorescence and immunocytochemistry. When we compared protein levels according to etiology, ICM showed significant higher levels of NDC1 (65%, p<0.0001), Nup160 (88%, p<0.0001) and Nup153 (137%, p = 0.004) than those of the CNT levels. Furthermore, DCM group showed significant differences for NDC1 (41%, p<0.0001), Nup160 (65%, p<0.0001), Nup153 (155%, p = 0.006) and Nup93 (88%, p<0.0001) compared with CNT. However, Nup155 and translocated promoter region (TPR) did not show significant differences in their levels in any etiology. Regarding the distribution of these proteins in cell nucleus, only NDC1 showed differences in HF. In addition, in the pathological group we obtained good relationship between the ventricular function parameters (LVEDD and LVESD) and Nup160 (r = -0382, p = 0.004; r = -0.290, p = 0.033; respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows alterations in specific proteins (NDC1, Nup160, Nup153 and Nup93) that compose NPC in ischaemic and dilated human heart. These changes, related to ventricular function, could be accompanied by alterations in the nucleocytoplasmic transport. Therefore, our findings may be the basis for a new approach to HF management.

Transcriptional elongation and mRNA export are coregulated processes.

Chromatin structure complexity requires the interaction and coordinated work of a multiplicity of factors at different transcriptional regulation stages. Transcription control comprises a set of processes that ensures proper balance in the gene expression under different conditions, such as signals, metabolic states, or development. We could frame those steps from epigenetic marks to mRNA stability to support the holistic view of a fine-tune balance of final mRNA levels through mRNA transcription, export, stability, translation, and degradation. Transport of mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm is a key process in regulated gene expression. Transcriptional elongation and mRNA export are coregulated steps that determine the mature mRNA levels in the cytoplasm. In this paper, recent insights into the coordination of these processes in eukaryotes will be summarised.

Comprehensive transcriptional analysis of the oxidative response in yeast.

The oxidative stress response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been analyzed by parallel determination of mRNA levels and transcription rates for the entire genome. A mathematical algorithm has been adapted for a dynamic situation such as the response to stress, to calculate theoretical mRNA decay rates from the experimental data. Yeast genes have been grouped into 25 clusters according to mRNA level and transcription rate kinetics, and average mRNA decay rates have been calculated for each cluster. In most of the genes, changes in one or both experimentally determined parameters occur during the stress response. 24% of the genes are transcriptionally induced without an increase in mRNA levels. The lack of parallelism between the evolution of the mRNA amount and transcription rate predicts changes in mRNA stability during stress. Genes for ribosomal proteins and rRNA processing enzymes are abundant among those whose mRNAs are predicted to destabilize. The number of genes whose mRNAs are predicted to stabilize is lower, although some protein folding or proteasomal genes are among the latter. We have confirmed the mathematical predictions for several genes pertaining to different clusters by experimentally determining mRNA decay rates using the regulatable tetO promoter in transcriptional expression conditions not affected by the oxidative stress. This study indicates that the oxidative stress response in yeast cells is not only conditioned by gene transcription but also by the mRNA decay dynamics and that this complex response may be particularly relevant to explain the temporary down-regulation of protein synthesis occurring during stress.

Chloroplast monothiol glutaredoxins as scaffold proteins for the assembly and delivery of [2Fe-2S] clusters.

Glutaredoxins (Grxs) are small oxidoreductases that reduce disulphide bonds or protein-glutathione mixed disulphides. More than 30 distinct grx genes are expressed in higher plants, but little is currently known concerning their functional diversity. This study presents biochemical and spectroscopic evidence for incorporation of a [2Fe-2S] cluster in two heterologously expressed chloroplastic Grxs, GrxS14 and GrxS16, and in vitro cysteine desulphurase-mediated assembly of an identical [2Fe-2S] cluster in apo-GrxS14. These Grxs possess the same monothiol CGFS active site as yeast Grx5 and both were able to complement a yeast grx5 mutant defective in Fe-S cluster assembly. In vitro kinetic studies monitored by CD spectroscopy indicate that [2Fe-2S] clusters on GrxS14 are rapidly and quantitatively transferred to apo chloroplast ferredoxin. These data demonstrate that chloroplast CGFS Grxs have the potential to function as scaffold proteins for the assembly of [2Fe-2S] clusters that can be transferred intact to physiologically relevant acceptor proteins. Alternatively, they may function in the storage and/or delivery of preformed Fe-S clusters or in the regulation of the chloroplastic Fe-S cluster assembly machinery.

Prokaryotic and eukaryotic monothiol glutaredoxins are able to perform the functions of Grx5 in the biogenesis of Fe/S clusters in yeast mitochondria.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae monothiol glutaredoxin Grx5 participates in the mitochondrial biogenesis of iron-sulfur clusters. Grx5 homologues exist in organisms from bacteria to humans. Chicken (cGRX5) and human (hGRX5) homologues contain a mitochondrial targeting sequence, suggesting a mitochondrial localization for these two proteins. We have compartmentalized the Escherichia coli and Synechocystis sp. homologues, and also cGRX5 and hGRX5, in the mitochondrial matrix of a yeast grx5 mutant. All four heterologous proteins rescue the defects of the mutant. The chicken cGRX5 gene was significantly expressed throughout the embryo stages in different tissues. These results underline the functional conservation of Grx5 homologues throughout evolution.