New Structures Reveal Interaction Dynamics in Respiratory Supercomplexes.

Mitochondrial energy conversion involves a chain of membrane-bound proteins that are wired to conduct an electron current, which drives transmembrane proton translocation. These enzymes associate to form supercomplexes, but the functional relevance of the higher-order structures is unknown. A recent study by Letts et al. presents structures of a supercomplex, which suggest how the interaction choreography may control overall functionality.