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Medizin - Open Access LMU - Teil 08/22 Archiv

250 Episoden
1 minute
We review here the present knowledge about the pathway of import and assembly of porin into mitochondria and compare it to those of other mitochondrial proteins. Porin, like all outer mitochondrial membrane proteins studied so far is made as a precursor without a cleavble lsquosignalrsquo sequence; thus targeting information must reside in the mature sequence. At least part of this information appears to be located at the amino-terminal end of the molecule. Transport into mitochondria can occur post-translationally. In a first step, the porin precursor is specifically recognized on the mitochondrial surface by a protease sensitive receptor. In a second step, porin precursor inserts partially into the outer membrane. This step is mediated by a component of the import machinery common to the import pathways of precursor proteins destined for other mitochondrial subcompartments. Finally, porin is assembled to produce the functional oligomeric form of an integral membrane protein wich is characterized by its extreme protease resistance.
1 minute
The mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP) and the processing enhancing protein (PEP) cooperate in the proteolytic cleavage of matrix targeting sequences from nuclear-encoded mitochondrial precursor proteins. We have determined the cDNA sequence of Neurospora MPP after expression cloning. MPP appears to contain two domains of approximately equal size which are separated by a loop-like sequence. Considerable structural similarity exists to the recently sequenced yeast MPP as well as to Neurospora and yeast PEP. Four cysteine residues are conserved in Neurospora and yeast MPP. Inactivation of MPP can be achieved by using sulfhydryl reagents. MPP (but not PEP) depends on the presence of divalent metal ions for activity. Both MPP and PEP are synthesized as precursors containing matrix targeting signals which are processed during import into mitochondria by the mature forms of MPP and PEP.