The mammalian mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) is encoded in the nucleus and imported into mitochondria, where it functions as an activator of mtDNA transcription and packages mtDNA into DNA-protein aggregates called mitochondrial nucleoids. Two studies in this issue reveal that TFAM shapes mtDNA into a sharp U-turn, providing a molecular mechanism for its dual roles in the expression and maintenance of mtDNA.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Relevant articles
Open Access articles citing this article.
-
Ovarian follicular dynamics, progesterone concentrations, pregnancy rates and transcriptional patterns in Bos indicus females with a high or low antral follicle count
Scientific Reports Open Access 11 November 2020
-
Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) shapes metabolic and invasion gene signatures in melanoma
Scientific Reports Open Access 21 September 2018
-
Allostery through protein-induced DNA bubbles
Scientific Reports Open Access 12 March 2015
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$189.00 per year
only $15.75 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Katie Vicari
References
Fisher, R.P. & Clayton, D.A. J. Biol. Chem. 260, 11330–11338 (1985).
Fisher, R.P., Parisi, M.A. & Clayton, D.A. Genes Dev. 3, 2202–2217 (1989).
Parisi, M.A. & Clayton, D.A. Science 252, 965–969 (1991).
Larsson, N.G. et al. Nat. Genet. 18, 231–236 (1998).
Ekstrand, M.I. et al. Hum. Mol. Genet. 13, 935–944 (2004).
Kaufman, B.A. et al. Mol. Biol. Cell 18, 3225–3236 (2007).
Ngo, H.B., Kaiser, J.T. & Chan, D.C. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 18, 1290–1296 (2011).
Rubio-Cosials, A. et al. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 18, 1281–1289 (2011).
Fisher, R.P., Lisowsky, T., Parisi, M.A. & Clayton, D.A. J. Biol. Chem. 267, 3358–3367 (1992).
Dairaghi, D.J., Shadel, G.S. & Clayton, D.A. J. Mol. Biol. 249, 11–28 (1995).
Zelenaya-Troitskaya, O., Newman, S.M., Okamoto, K., Perlman, P.S. & Butow, R.A. Genetics 148, 1763–1776 (1998).
Matsunaga, M. & Jaehning, J.A. J. Biol. Chem. 279, 2012–2019 (2004).
Falkenberg, M. et al. Nat. Genet. 31, 289–294 (2002).
Garrido, N. et al. Mol. Biol. Cell 14, 1583–1596 (2003).
Wang, Y. & Bogenhagen, D.F. J. Biol. Chem. 281, 25791–25802 (2006).
Kukat, C. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108, 13534–13539 (2011).
Sologub, M., Litonin, D., Anikin, M., Mustaev, A. & Temiakov, D. Cell 139, 934–944 (2009).
McCulloch, V. & Shadel, G.S. Mol. Cell. Biol. 23, 5816–5824 (2003).
Metodiev, M.D. et al. Cell Metab. 9, 386–397 (2009).
Ringel, R. et al. Nature advance online publication, doi:10.1038/nature10435 (25 September 2011).
Mouw, K.W. & Rice, P.A. Mol. Microbiol. 63, 1319–1330 (2007).
Nikolov, D.B. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 4862–4867 (1996).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hallberg, B., Larsson, NG. TFAM forces mtDNA to make a U-turn. Nat Struct Mol Biol 18, 1179–1181 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.2167
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.2167
This article is cited by
-
Targeting Mitochondria as a Therapeutic Approach for Parkinson’s Disease
Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology (2023)
-
Ovarian follicular dynamics, progesterone concentrations, pregnancy rates and transcriptional patterns in Bos indicus females with a high or low antral follicle count
Scientific Reports (2020)
-
Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) shapes metabolic and invasion gene signatures in melanoma
Scientific Reports (2018)
-
Allostery through protein-induced DNA bubbles
Scientific Reports (2015)
-
Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Thyroid Axis Hormones Stimulate Mitochondrial Function and Biogenesis in Human Hair Follicles
Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2014)
