{
  "abstract": "The translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane (TOM) complex is the entry gate for mitochondrial proteins synthesized in the cytosol. Previous biochemical studies indicated that the TOM complex functions as a trimer and exists in a dynamic equilibrium with a Tom22-lacking dimer in intact mitochondria. In contrast, recent cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies revealed near-atomic structures of the Tom22-containing core dimer. However, the relationship between the core dimer and the functional trimer remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the oligomeric organization and structural properties of purified yeast TOM complexes using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM). Purified yeast TOM complexes predominantly adopted a trimeric organization but underwent deformation and dissociation during repeated HS-AFM scanning, leaving dimeric and monomeric particles. Trimeric particles exhibited spherical shapes consistent with previous crosslinking models, whereas dissociated dimers closely resembled TOM core-dimer structures determined by cryo-EM. HS-AFM also revealed the peripheral localization of the Tom20 receptor and enabled direct visualization of substrate-TOM interactions, with TOM association accompanied by reduced substrate mobility. Together, these findings provide quantitative and structural evidence for a predominantly trimeric organization of the purified TOM complex and suggest that the trimer contains a stable core-dimer unit with a more loosely associated third Tom40-containing unit.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.",
    "Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.",
    "Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Reserach Institute (CMB), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tokyo, Japan.",
    "Integrated Reserach Center for Self-Care Technology (IRC-SRT), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tokyo, Japan.",
    "Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Ginowan, Japan.",
    "WPI-Nano Life Science Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.",
    "Institute of Science Tokyo, Institute of Integrated Research, Cell Biology Center, Yokohama, Japan.",
    "Faculty of Life Sciences, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, Japan.",
    "Institute for Protein Dynamics, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, Japan.",
    "Environmental Stress Research Center (eSRC), Kanazawa University, Ginowan, Japan."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Nanako Kobayashi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Satoshi N Omura"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kana Kuzasa"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Kenichiro Imai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shiho Kawai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Hirotatsu Imai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Romain Amyot"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Kenichi Umeda",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3650-3828"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Osamu Nureki"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7,
        8
      ],
      "name": "Toshiya Endo",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8548-1584"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Noriyuki Kodera",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4880-8423"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        9
      ],
      "name": "Yuhei Araiso",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8223-7858"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a88ed4ft76bhh.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1111/gtc.70154",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13695020",
  "id": "a88ed4ft76bhh",
  "issns": [
    "1356-9597",
    "1365-2443"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42920373",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Mitochondrial Function and Pathology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7166845135",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13695020?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13695020",
  "pmid": "42920373",
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a88ed4ft76bhh.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:33Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42920373",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42920373"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|Mitochondrial Function and Pathology",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Characterization of the Trimeric TOM Complex by HS-AFM Single-Molecule Analysis.",
  "title_text": "Characterization of the Trimeric TOM Complex by HS-AFM Single-Molecule Analysis.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:33Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a88ed4ft76bhh",
  "venue": "Genes to cells : devoted to molecular & cellular mechanisms",
  "versions": []
}