The evolution and function of co-chaperones in mitochondria

Mitochondrial chaperones mediate and affect critical organellar processes, essential for cellular function. These chaperone systems have both prokaryotic and eukaryotic features. While some of the mitochondrial co-chaperones have clear homologues in prokaryotes, some are unique to eukaryotes and have no homologues in the chaperone machinery of other cellular compartments. The mitochondrial co-chaperones are required for protein import into the organelle and in enforcing the structure of the main chaperones. In addition to novel types of interaction with their senior partners, unexpected and essential interactions between the co-chaperones themselves have recently been described.