Sunday, February 27, 2022

Mitochondrial De Novo Assembly of Iron–Sulfur Clusters in Mammals: Complex Matters in a Complex That Matters

Citation: Perfitt, T.L.; Martelli, A.; Inorganics 2022, 10, 31. doi:10.3390/inorganics10030031

Recently obtained structural and biochemical data have painted a clearer picture of the mitochondrial Fe–S core complex, its protein interactions, and the steps involved in generating Fe–S. They open a venue for new and exciting research to address unanswered questions. For instance, what is the source of iron in the process? How, where, and when does FDX2 bind to the core complex during Fe–S assembly? What is the nature of the Fe–S intermediate on ISCU2 before its dimerization? How does dimerization of ISCU2 occur? Additionally, the intriguing relationship between ACP, the mitochondrial synthesis of long acyl chain and the Fe–S core complex function deserves particular attention. Importantly, the elucidation of these mechanisms and functions will require complementary experiments to ensure the physiological relevance of in vitro observations.