The carboxyl-terminal two-thirds of the ADP/ATP carrier polypeptide contains sufficient information to direct translocation into mitochondria

Pfanner, Nikolaus and Hoeben, Peter and Tropschug, Maximilian and Neupert, Walter (1987): The carboxyl-terminal two-thirds of the ADP/ATP carrier polypeptide contains sufficient information to direct translocation into mitochondria. In: The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 262, No. 31: pp. 14851-14854

Abstract

The precursor of the mitochondrial inner membrane protein ADP/ATP carrier is cytoplasmically synthesized without an amino-terminal peptide extension. We constructed a truncated precursor lacking the 103 amino acids from the amino terminus (about a third of the protein). Import of the truncated precursor into mitochondria showed the import characteristics of the authentic precursor, including nucleoside triphosphate dependence, requirement for a protease-sensitive component on the mitochondrial surface, two-step specific binding to the outer membrane, and membrane potential-dependent translocation into the inner membrane. We conclude that, in contrast to all other mitochondrial precursor proteins studied so far, domains of the ADP/ATP carrier distant from the amino terminus can carry specific targeting information for transport into mitochondria.

• Item Type: Article
• Collections: Medicine
• Subjects: 600 Technology > 610 Medicine and health