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Kessler, Félix

Nom
Kessler, Félix
Affiliation principale
Fonction
Professeur.e ordinaire
Email
felix.kessler@unine.ch
Identifiants
https://libra.unine.ch/handle/123456789/320
_
0000-0001-6409-5043

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  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Dimerization of Toc-GTPases at the chloroplast protein import machinery
    (2003)
    Weibel, Petra 
    ;
    Hiltbrunner, Andreas
    ;
    Brand, Lukas
    ;
    Kessler, Félix 
    Import of chloroplast precursor proteins is controlled by the coordinate action of two homologous GTPases, Toc159 and Toc33, located at the cytosol-outer membrane interface. Recent studies in Arabidopsis showed that the cytosolic form of the precursor binding protein Toc159 is targeted to its receptor at the import machinery, Toc33, via heterodimerization of their GTP-binding domains. Toc33 may also form GDP-bound homodimers, as suggested by the crystal structure of its pea ortholog. Moreover, the structural data suggested that arginine 130 ( Arg(130)) of Arabidopsis Toc33 may function as a GTPase-activating "arginine-finger" at the other monomer in the Toc33 dimer. Here, we demonstrate that Arg(130) of Toc33 does not function as an Arginine-finger. A mutant, Toc33-R130A, binds and hydrolyzes GTP like the wild type. However, we demonstrate that Arg(130) is involved in both homodimerization of Toc33 and in heterodimerization with the GTP-binding domain of Toc159. The dependence of Toc33 homodimerization on Arg(130) is mutual, requiring the presence of Arg(130) at both monomers. As the GTPase is not activated by dimerization, it may be activated independently at either monomer, possibly even before dimerization. Independent regulation of GTPase activity may serve to coordinate the interactions of the GTPases during the import of proteins into the chloroplast.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    A GTPase gate for protein import into chloroplasts
    (2002)
    Kessler, Félix 
    ;
    Schnell, Danny
    Protein import into chloroplasts is regulated by the binding and hydrolysis of GTP at two homologous GTPases, Toc34 and Toc159. The crystal structure of the Toc34 GTP-binding domain suggests that GTP-regulated dimerization of the Toc GTPase domains controls the targeting and translocation of preproteins at the chloroplast envelope.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    The targeting of the atToc159 preprotein receptor to the chloroplast outer membrane is mediated by its GTPase domain and is regulated by GTP
    (2002)
    Smith, Matthew
    ;
    Hiltbrunner, Andreas
    ;
    Kessler, Félix 
    ;
    Schnell, Danny
    The multimeric translocon at the outer envelope membrane of chloroplasts (Toc) initiates the recognition and import of nuclear-encoded preproteins into chloroplasts. Two Toc GTPases, Toc159 and Toc33/34, mediate preprotein recognition and regulate preprotein translocation. Although these two proteins account for the requirement of GTP hydrolysis for import, the functional significance of GTP binding and hydrolysis by either GTPase has not been defined. A recent study indicates that Toc159 is equally distributed between a soluble cytoplasmic form and a membrane-inserted form, raising the possibility that it might cycle between the cytoplasm and chloroplast as a soluble preprotein receptor. In the present study, we examined the mechanism of targeting and insertion of the Arabidopsis thaliana orthologue of Toc159, atToc159, to chloroplasts. Targeting of atToc159 to the outer envelope membrane is strictly dependent only on guanine nucleotides. Although GTP is not required for initial binding, the productive insertion and assembly of atToc159 into the Toc complex requires its intrinsic GTPase activity. Targeting is mediated by direct binding between the GTPase domain of atToc159 and the homologous GTPase domain of atToc33, the Arabidopsis Toc33/34 orthologue. Our findings demonstrate a role for the coordinate action of the Toc GTPases in assembly of the functional Toc complex at the chloroplast outer envelope membrane.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Protein translocon at the Arabidopsis outer chloroplast membrane
    (2001)
    Hiltbrunner, Andreas
    ;
    Bauer, Jörg
    ;
    Alvarez-Huerta, Mayte
    ;
    Kessler, Félix 
    Chloroplasts are organelles essential for the photoautotrophic growth of plants. Their biogenesis from undifferentiated proplastids is triggered by light and requires the import of hundreds of different precursor proteins from the cytoplasm. Cleavable N-terminal transit sequences target the precursors to the chloroplast where translocon complexes at the outer (Toc complex) and inner (Tic complex) envelope membranes enable their import. In pea, the Toc complex is trimeric consisting of two surface-exposed GTP-binding proteins (Toc159 and Toc34) involved in precursor recognition and Toc75 forming an aequeous protein-conducting channel. Completion of the Arabidopsis genome has revealed an unexpected complexity of predicted components of the Toc complex in this plant model organism: four genes encode homologs of Toc159, two encode homologs of Toc34, but only one encodes a likely functional homolog of Toc75. The availability of the genomic sequence data and powerful molecular genetic techniques in Arabidopsis set the stage to unravel the mechanisms of chloroplast protein import in unprecedented depth.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Targeting of an abundant cytosolic form of the protein import receptor at Toc159 to the outer chloroplast membrane
    (2001)
    Hiltbrunner, Andreas
    ;
    Bauer, Jörg
    ;
    Vidi, Pierre-Alexandre
    ;
    Infanger, Sibylle
    ;
    Weibel, Petra 
    ;
    Hohwy, Morten
    ;
    Kessler, Félix 
    Chloroplast biogenesis requires the large-scale import of cytosolically synthesized precursor proteins. A trimeric translocon (Toc complex) containing two homologous, GTP-binding proteins (atToc33 and atToc159) and a channel protein (atToc75) facilitates protein translocation across the outer envelope membrane. The mechanisms governing function and assembly of the Toc complex are not yet understood. This study demonstrates that atToc159 and its pea orthologue exist in an abundant, previously unrecognized soluble form, and partition between cytosol-containing soluble fractions and the chloroplast outer membrane. We show that soluble atToc159 binds directly to the cytosolic domain of atToc33 in a homotypic interaction, contributing to the integration of atToc159 into the chloroplast outer membrane. The data suggest that the function of the Toc complex involves switching of at Toc159 between a soluble and an integral membrane form.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Interaction of the protein import and folding machineries in the chloroplast
    (1996)
    Kessler, Félix 
    ;
    Blobel, Gunter
    We report the molecular cloning of import intermediate associated protein (IAP) 100, a 100-kDa protein of the chloroplast protein import machinery of peas, IAP100 contains two potential alpha-helical transmembrane segments and also behaves like an integral membrane protein, It was localized to the inner chloroplast envelope membrane, Immunoprecipitation experiments using monospecific anti-IAP100 antibodies and a nonionic detergent-generated chloroplast lysate gave the following results, (i) The four integral membrane proteins of the outer chloroplast import machinery were not coprecipitated with IAP100 indicating that the inner and outer membrane import machineries are not coupled in isolated chloroplasts. (ii) the major protein that coprecipitated with IAP100 was identified as stromal chaperonin 60 (cpn60); the association of IAP100 and cpn60 was specific and was abolished when immunoprecipitation vias carried out in the presence of ATP, (iii) In a lysate from chloroplasts that had been preincubated for various lengths of time in an import reaction with radiolabeled precursor (pS) of the small subunit of Rubisco, we detected coimmunoprecipitation of IAP100, cpn60, and the imported mature form (S) of precursor, Relative to the time course of import, coprecipitation of S first increased and then decreased, consistent with a transient association of the newly imported S with the chaperonin bound to IAP100. These data suggest that IAP100 serves in recruiting chaperonin for folding of newly imported proteins.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Isolation of components of the chloroplast protein import machinery
    (1994)
    Schnell, Danny
    ;
    Kessler, Félix 
    ;
    Blobel, Gunter
    Components of the protein import machinery of the chloroplast were isolated by a procedure in which the import machinery was engaged in vitro with a tagged import substrate under conditions that yielded largely chloroplast envelope-bound import intermediates. Subsequent detergent solubilization of envelope membranes showed that six envelope polypeptides copurified specifically and, apparently, stoichiometrically with the import intermediates. Four of these polypeptides are components of the outer membrane import machinery and are associated with early import intermediates. Two of these polypeptides have been characterized. One is a homolog of the heat shock protein hsp70; the other one is a channel-protein candidate.