The effect of paromomycin and [psi] on the suppression of mitochondrial mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Nuclear omnipotent suppressors of premature termination codons in mitochondrial genes affect the 37S mitoribosomal subunit

nam3 and R705, yeast nuclear omnipotent suppressors of mitochondrial mit- mutations, reverse the superimposed spectrum of trans-recessive splicing defects by affecting the protein composition of the small mitoribosomal subunit. Analysis of the suppressor's interaction suggests that suppression results from mutations in the mitoribosomal polypeptides. These data indicate an obligatory connection between mitoribosome function and splicing of introns bI2, bI4 and aI1 in yeast mitochondria.

Phenotypic suppression and nuclear accommodation of the mit- oxi1-V25 mutation in isolated yeast mitochondria

Phenotypic suppression by the antibiotic, paromomycin, of the mitochondrial oxi1- -V25 mutation, a mutation which arrests by premature ochre codon the synthesis of the cox II subunit, was studied in isolated yeast mitochondria competent in translation. This antibiotic is known to suppress the mutation in vivo (Dujardin et al. 1984) and allowed in vitro, at concentrations of 20-1100 micrograms per ml. the synthesis of the cox II subunit. This strongly suggests that phenotypic suppression of mit- mutations is due to the direct action of paromomycin on mitochondrial ribosomes. The effect of paromomycin bears a resemblance to the function of the omnipotent nuclear suppressor mutation R705. The nuclear suppression was expressed in isolated mitochondria; suppressor mutation influenced the structure of the mitoribosome. Therefore, it appears that mitoribosomes are indeed the common target in the phenotypical and genetic nuclear suppression of the oxi1-V25 mutation.

Protein synthesis in mitochondria from yeast strains carrying nam and mim suppressor genes

Yeast mitochondria isolated from two different wild type strains (gal+ and gal-), whether grown on galactose or glucose, synthesize all mitochondrial polypeptides with similar efficiencies and in proportions approximating those detected in vivo. Mitochondria isolated from mit- mutants synthesize in vitro a mutant pattern of mitochondrial proteins, indistinguishable from the in vivo products. The mutant pattern is restored to the wild type one in mitochondria isolated from pseudorevertant strains carrying an additional nuclear (nam3-1 and R705) or mitochondrial (mim3-1) informational suppressor gene. Suppression is expressed in isolated mitochondria without the obligatory presence of cytosol at the level of both respiratory control and specific polypeptide synthesis. Translation in isolated mitochondria is sensitive to paromomycin. The antibiotic differentiates between translation in mitochondria from wild type strains and that in nam-type gene carrying strains. This strongly suggests that nam-type mutations affect the mitoribosome, enhancing ambiguity of translation, thus allowing for the pseudoreversion of mit- phenotypes.