ICAP2 Immunoprecipitation results

The mitochondrial ATP synthase is a macromolecular motor that uses the proton gradient to generate ATP. Proper ATP synthase function requires a stator linking the catalytic and rotary portions of the complex. However, sequence-based searches fail to identify genes encoding stator subunits in apicomplexan parasites like Toxoplasma gondii or the related organisms that cause malaria. Here, we identify 11 previously unknown subunits from the Toxoplasma ATP synthase, which lack homologs outside the phylum. Hidden Markov modeling suggests that two of them—ICAP2 and ICAP18—share distant homology with mammalian stator subunits. Our mass spcetrometry analysis indicates that both proteins form part of the ATP synthase complex.