DATE2024.07.24 #Press Releases
A simple determination rule for which nascent proteins are transported to the mitochondria
-Authentication by key and keyhole made of amino acids-
Summary
A research group led by Graduate Student Riko Hirata (at the time of the research), Professor Tetsuya Higashiyama, and Associate Professor Yamato Yoshida of the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science has revealed the fundamental rule that distinguishes nascent proteins transported from the cytosol to the mitochondrion. Conventionally, physicochemical properties such as amphiphilicity were thought to be important factors for the function of a specific peptide tag carried by nascent proteins transported to mitochondria. However, through a series of experiments using a simple unicellular red alga, which has only one mitochondrion, the research team revealed that the mitochondrial targeting peptide contains at least one basic amino acid in the α-helix, rather than amphiphilic properties, to function. Accurate protein transport into mitochondria is an extremely important molecular mechanism, and the system is thought to have been established with the birth of mitochondria. This study demonstrates one of the fundamental principles of eukaryotic cells, which could only be revealed in an organism with a simple cell structure.
Figure：Determine which proteins to transport to the mitochondria
Journals
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Journal name Journal of Cell Science Title of paper