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Msp1/ATAD1 maintains mitochondrial function by facilitating the degradation of mislocalized tail-anchored proteins

Yu-Chan Chen1, George K E Umanah2, Noah Dephoure3

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City UT, USA.

The EMBO Journal
|May 21, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Mitochondria accumulate mislocalized tail-anchored proteins when the Guided Entry (GET) system is impaired. The AAA+ ATPase Msp1/ATAD1 prevents this, maintaining mitochondrial integrity by extracting aberrant proteins.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Mitochondrial Biology

Background:

  • Tail-anchored (TA) proteins are typically inserted into membranes via the Guided Entry (GET) system.
  • Disruption of the GET system leads to TA protein mislocalization to mitochondria.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of AAA+ ATPase Msp1 in preventing TA protein accumulation on mitochondria.
  • To determine if Msp1 and its mammalian ortholog ATAD1 are conserved in mitochondrial protein quality control.

Main Methods:

  • Yeast genetics and microscopy to study TA protein localization.
  • Analysis of mitochondrial morphology and DNA/protein content in mutant strains.
  • Comparison of yeast Msp1 function with human ATAD1 in mammalian tissues.

Main Results:

  • Deletion of MSP1 exacerbates TA protein mislocalization to mitochondria when the GET system is impaired.
  • Combined mutations in MSP1 and GET cause severe synergistic growth defects and mitochondrial damage.
  • Yeast Msp1 and human ATAD1 limit the mitochondrial mislocalization of specific TA proteins (Pex15, Gos1, PEX26, GOS28).

Conclusions:

  • Yeast Msp1 and mammalian ATAD1 are conserved in a mitochondrial protein quality control system.
  • These proteins likely extract and degrade mislocalized TA proteins, preserving mitochondrial integrity.
  • Msp1/ATAD1 function is crucial for preventing mitochondrial dysfunction caused by GET pathway defects.

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