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Related Experiment Videos

Bacterial proteins predisposed for targeting to mitochondria.

Rebecca Lucattini1, Vladimir A Likic, Trevor Lithgow

  • 1Russell Grimwade School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Australia.

Molecular Biology and Evolution
|January 24, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Mitochondrial evolution may have been simpler than previously thought. Many proteobacterial proteins already possessed targeting information, reducing the complexity of organelle development.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Mitochondria originated from endosymbiotic proteobacteria.
  • Mitochondrial evolution required gene transfer and protein import into the organelle.
  • Existing models propose simultaneous, improbable events for protein import machinery and targeting sequences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the preexisting targeting information in proteobacteria for mitochondrial import.
  • To re-evaluate the complexity of mitochondrial evolution models.
  • To identify potential mechanisms for early protein translocation into endosymbionts.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized two independent prediction methods to analyze proteobacterial genomes.
  • Validated prediction methods using simulated genomes.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examined a protein family common to bacteria and mitochondria.
  • Tested amino-terminal extensions of bacterial proteins for mitochondrial targeting activity.

    • Main Results:

    • At least 5% of proteobacterial proteins are predisposed for mitochondrial targeting.
    • Mitochondrial targeting information appears to be largely preexisting in the endosymbiont.
    • Bacterial protein amino-terminal extensions showed crude import activity with isolated mitochondria.

    Conclusions:

    • Mitochondrial evolution likely involved preexisting protein targeting signals in the endosymbiont.
    • The primary remaining hurdle for mitochondrial origin is the development of a protein translocation channel.
    • This finding simplifies the evolutionary pathway to mitochondria.