NADH Dehydrogenase Ubiquinone 1 Alpha Subcomplex 10 (NDUFa10)

NDUFa10 belongs to the complex I 42kDA subunit family. The predicted 355-amino acid human protein is 80% identical to the 42-kD bovine homolog. Although NDUFA10 is found within the hydrophobic protein (HP) fraction of complex I, hydropathy analysis revealed an overall hydrophilic pattern. The HP fraction is thought to participate in the transfer of protons from the mitochondrial matrix to the intermembrane space. The authors suggested that the hydrophilic proteins in the HP fraction contribute to the outer sections of the membranal part of complex I, which communicate with mitochondrial matrix or intermembrane space. According to this model, the hydrophobic proteins of the HP, like the mitochondrially-encoded complex I proteins, are actually in the lipid bilayer.