Mitochondrial dysfunction resulting from the absence of mitochondrial porin in Neurospora crassa

Porin, the voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) in the mitochondrial outer membrane, contributes to metabolism and apoptosis. VDAC function was investigated in Neurospora, an obligate aerobe with a single porin. Porinless strains are viable, with cold-sensitive growth, cytochrome deficiencies and overexpression of alternative oxidase. iTRAQ labeling of mitochondria from a porinless strain and its progenitor revealed a small group of proteins with altered expression levels in the mutant organelles. Porinless Neurospora appears to compensate not by inducing alternative pores, but by altering electron flow and nucleotide metabolism. Transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms contribute to the response, reflecting the extent of porin influence.