Atypical Rho GTPases have roles in mitochondrial homeostasis and apoptosis

The human genomic sequencing effort has revealed the presence of a large number of Rho GTPases encoded by the human genome. Here we report the characterization of a new family of Rho GTPases with atypical features. These proteins, which were called Miro-1 and Miro-2 (for mitochondrial Rho), have tandem GTP-binding domains separated by a linker region containing putative calcium-binding EF hand motifs. Genes encoding Miro-like proteins were found in several eukaryotic organisms from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster to mammals, indicating that these genes evolved early during evolution. Immunolocalization experiments, in which transfected NIH3T3 and COS 7 cells were stained for ectopically expressed Miro as well as for the endogenous Miro-1 protein, showed that Miro was present in mitochondria. Interestingly, overexpression of a constitutively active mutant of Miro-1 (Miro-1/Val-13) induced an aggregation of the mitochondrial network and resulted in an increased apoptotic rate of the cells expressing activated Miro-1. These data indicate a novel role for Rho-like GTPases in mitochondrial homeostasis and apoptosis.