Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Biosynthesis

Resurrecting an ancient coenzyme Q metabolon

Nature Catalysis volume 7, pages 117–119 (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

The coenzyme Q biosynthetic pathway has evaded full characterization for decades, in part due to the inherent insolubility of coenzyme Q and the instability of its membrane-associated biosynthetic enzymes. Now, researchers have resurrected an active ancestral coenzyme Q metabolon in vitro that has unveiled valuable insights into previously uncharacterized aspects of coenzyme Q biosynthesis.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: The biochemistry of coenzyme Q biosynthesis.

References

  1. Guerra, R. M. & Pagliarini, D. J. Trends Biochem. Sci. 48, 463–476 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Awad, A. M. et al. Essays Biochem. 62, 361–376 (2018).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Nicoll, C. R. et al. Nat Catal. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-023-01087-z (2024).

  4. Spence, M. A., Kaczmarski, J. A., Saunders, J. W. & Jackson, C. J. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 69, 131–141 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Gumulya, Y. & Gillam, E. M. J. Biochem. J. 474, 1–19 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Reidenbach, A. G. et al. Cell Chem. Biol. 25, 154–165 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Xie, L. X. et al. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1811, 348–360 (2011).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Ozeir, M. et al. Chem. Biol. 18, 1134–1142 (2011).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Acosta Lopez, M. J. et al. Oxid. Med. Cell Longev. 2019, 1–11 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Pelosi, L. et al. Mol. Cell https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2024.01.003 (2024).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Kelsey J. Feustel & Catherine F. Clarke

Authors
  1. Kelsey J. Feustel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Catherine F. Clarke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Catherine F. Clarke.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Feustel, K.J., Clarke, C.F. Resurrecting an ancient coenzyme Q metabolon. Nat Catal 7, 117–119 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-024-01111-w

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-024-01111-w

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing