# Systems-to-structure approaches for defining mitochondrial protein function

> **NIH NIH R35** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $645,775

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Mitochondria are centers of metabolism and signaling whose function is essential to all but a few eukaryotic cell
types. Despite their position as the iconic powerhouses of cellular biology, many aspects of mitochondria remain
remarkably obscure—a fact that contributes to our near complete inability to address mitochondrial dysfunction
therapeutically. Such dysfunction is associated with a spectrum of rare inborn errors of metabolism and an
increasing number of common diseases—including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, various cancers, and type 2
diabetes—often through distinct means. For instance, aberrant mitochondrial biogenesis can fail to properly set
cellular mitochondrial content; dysregulated signaling processes can fail to calibrate mitochondrial activity to
changing cellular needs; and malfunctioning proteins can render core bioenergetic processes ineffectual. A major
bottleneck to understanding—and ultimately addressing—these processes is that the proteins driving them have
often not been identified. Concurrently, the functions of hundreds of known mitochondrial proteins that may fulfill
these roles are undefined, or at best are poorly understood. In 2008, I led an integrative effort to generate a
comprehensive compendium of the mammalian mitochondrial proteome—termed MitoCarta—that doubled the
number of known mammalian mitochondrial proteins and exposed this major gap in knowledge: A striking ~300
of the ~1100 proteins had no annotated function, including ~50 that are now directly associated with human
disease. Thus, the high-level goal of my research program is to achieve a more comprehensive
understanding of mitochondrial biology by systematically establishing the functions of orphan
mitochondrial proteins and their roles within disease-related processes. We do so by first devising novel,
multi-dimensional analyses designed to make new connections between these proteins and established
pathways and processes. These include customized, high-throughput protein-protein interaction screens, large-
scale mass spectrometry-based profiling of yeast and human cell gene knockouts, and computational
approaches. We then employ mechanistic and structural approaches to define the functions of select proteins at
biochemical depth, including ancient and atypical kinases and lipid binding proteins that enable the mitochondrial
coenzyme Q biosynthesis pathway and other essential metabolic processes. Finally, we investigate how post-
transcriptional and post-translational regulators operate to establish a customized mitochondrial infrastructure
capable of meeting changing cellular needs. Overall, by purposefully elucidating the unexplored areas of
mitochondrial biology, we are rapidly arriving at a more complete understanding of what these organelles do and
how their protein componentry enables their myriad functions. These efforts promise to help establish a deep,
mechanistic understanding of mitochondrial biochemistry that will motivate no...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10370341
- **Project number:** 5R35GM131795-05
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** David J Pagliarini
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $645,775
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10370341

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10370341, Systems-to-structure approaches for defining mitochondrial protein function (5R35GM131795-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10370341. Licensed CC0.

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