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Fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) are mitochondrial redox processes that generate ATP. The biogenesis of the respiratory Complex I, a 1 MDa multiprotein complex that is responsible for initiating OXPHOS, is mediated by assembly factors including the mitochondrial complex I assembly (MCIA) complex. However, the organisation and the role of the MCIA complex are still unclear. Here we show that ECSIT functions as the bridging node of the MCIA core complex. Furthermore, cryo-electron microscopy together with biochemical and biophysical experiments reveal that the C-terminal domain of ECSIT directly binds to the vestigial dehydrogenase domain of the FAO enzyme ACAD9 and induces its deflavination, switching ACAD9 from its role in FAO to an MCIA factor. These findings provide the structural basis for the MCIA complex architecture and suggest a unique molecular mechanism for coordinating the regulation of the FAO and OXPHOS pathways to ensure an efficient energy production., (© 2020 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Neurons are extremely energy demanding cells and highly dependent on the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system. Mitochondria generate the energetic potential via the respiratory complexes I to IV, which constitute the electron transport chain (ETC), together with complex V. These redox reactions release energy in the form of ATP and also generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are involved in cell signaling but can eventually lead to oxidative stress. Complex I (CI or NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) is the largest ETC enzyme, containing 44 subunits and the main contributor to ROS production. In recent years, the structure of the CI has become available and has provided new insights into CI assembly. A number of chaperones have been identified in the assembly and stability of the mature holo-CI, although they are not part of its final structure. Interestingly, CI dysfunction is the most common OXPHOS disorder in humans and defects in the CI assembly process are often observed. However, the dynamics of the events leading to CI biogenesis remain elusive, which precludes our understanding of how ETC malfunctioning affects neuronal integrity. Here, we review the current knowledge of the structural features of CI and its assembly factors and the potential role of CI misassembly in human disorders such as Complex I Deficiencies or Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.