Protein sorting: Recognizing mitochondrial presequences

Protein sorting: Recognizing mitochondrial presequences

The mitochondrial protein import machinery specifically recognizes many different preproteins lacking a consensus sequence. The three-dimensional structure of an import receptor complexed to an amino-terminal targeting 'presequence' provides exciting insight into the molecular mechanism of signal recognition.

Minireview : Mitochondrial Presequences 4511

The discovery that proteins imported from the cytoplasm into mitochondria are usually synthesized as larger precursors (Maccecchini et al., 1979) has focussed attention on the function of targeting sequences in mitochondrial biogenesis. AS protein sorting within a cell is being elucidated, it becomes clear that mitochondria utilize a unique mechanism for the specific targeting and uptake of the...

Interaction of mitochondrial presequences with DnaK and mitochondrial hsp70.

Mitochondrial heat shock protein 70 (mt-hsp70) functions as a molecular chaperone in mitochondrial biogenesis. The chaperone in co-operation with its co-proteins acts as a translocation motor pulling the mitochondrial precursor into the matrix. Mt-hsp70s are highly conserved when compared to the bacterial hsp70 homologue, DnaK. Here we have used DnaK as a model to study the interaction of mitoc...

Refining the definition of plant mitochondrial presequences through analysis of sorting signals, N-terminal modifications, and cleavage motifs.

Mitochondrial protein import is a complex multistep process from synthesis of proteins in the cytosol, recognition by receptors on the organelle surface, to translocation across one or both mitochondrial membranes and assembly after removal of the targeting signal, referred to as a presequence. In plants, import has to further discriminate between mitochondria and chloroplasts. In this study, w...

Static Program Analysis for Recognizing Sorting Algorithms