Functional Diversity of Mitochondrial Peptidyl-tRNA Hydrolase ICT1 in Human Cells

Mitochondria are energy producing organelles of the eukaryotic cell, involved in the synthesis of key metabolites, calcium homeostasis and apoptosis. Protein biosynthesis in these organelles is a relic of its endosymbiotic origin. While mitochondrial translational factors have homologues among prokaryotes, they possess a number of unique traits. Remarkably as many as four mammalian mitochondrial proteins possess a clear similarity with translation termination factors. The review focuses on the ICT1, which combines several functions. It is a non-canonical termination factor for protein biosynthesis, a rescue factor for stalled mitochondrial ribosomes, a structural protein and a regulator of proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis. Such a diversity of roles demonstrates the high functionality of mitochondrial translation associated proteins and their relationship with numerous processes occurring in a living cell.

Factors beyond Enolase 2 and Mitochondrial Lysyl-tRNA Synthetase Precursor Are Required for tRNA Import into Yeast Mitochondria

In yeast, the import of tRNA^Lys with CUU anticodon (tRK1) relies on a complex mechanism where interaction with enolase 2 (Eno2p) dictates a deep conformational change of the tRNA. This event is believed to mask the tRNA from the cytosolic translational machinery to re-direct it towards the mitochondria. Once near the mitochondrial outer membrane, the precursor of the mitochondrial lysyl-tRNA synthetase (preMsk1p) takes over enolase to carry the tRNA within the mitochondrial matrix, where it is supposed to participate in translation following correct refolding. Biochemical data presented in this report focus on the role of enolase. They show that despite the inability of Eno2p alone to form a complex with tRK1, mitochondrial import can be recapitulated in vitro using fractions of yeast extracts sharing either recombinant or endogenous yeast Eno2p as one of the main components. Taken together, our data suggest the existence of a protein complex containing Eno2p that is involved in RNA mitochondrial import.

Import of nuclear encoded RNAs into yeast and human mitochondria: experimental approaches and possible biomedical applications

Mitochondria import from the cytoplasm the vast majority of proteins and some RNAs. Although there exists extended knowledge concerning the mechanisms of protein import, the import of RNA is poorly understood. It was almost exclusively studied on the model of tRNA import, in several protozoans, plants and yeast. Mammalian mitochondria, which do not import tRNAs naturally, are hypothesized to import other small RNA molecules from the cytoplasm. We studied tRNA import in the yeast system, both in vitro and in vivo, and applied similar approaches to study 5S rRNA import into human mitochondria. Despite the obvious divergence of RNA import systems suggested for different species, we find that in yeast and human cells this pathway involves similar mechanisms exploiting cytosolic proteins to target the RNA to the organelle and requiring the integrity of pre-protein import apparatus. The import pathway might be of interest from a biomedical point of view, to target into mitochondria RNAs that could suppress pathological mutations in mitochondrial DNA. Yeast represents a good model to elaborate such a gene therapy approach. We have described here the various approaches and protocols to study RNA import into mitochondria of yeast and human cells in vitro and in vivo.