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Updated: Feb 16, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mitochondrial Contact Sites and Architectural Insights
Published on: June 16, 2023
To Mia or not to Mia: stepwise evolution of the mitochondrial intermembrane space disulfide relay
Chris Carrie1, Jürgen Soll2,3
1Department of Biology I, Botany, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhaderner Strasse 2-4, D-82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany. christopher.carrie@lmu.de.
Abstract:
The disulfide relay system found in the intermembrane space (IMS) of mitochondria is an essential pathway for the import and oxidative folding of IMS proteins. Erv1, an essential member of this pathway, has been previously found to be ubiquitously present in mitochondria-containing eukaryotes. However, the other essential protein, Mia40, was found to be absent or not required in some organisms, raising questions about how the disulfide relay functions in these organisms. A recent study published in BMC Biology demonstrates for the first time that some Erv1 proteins can function in oxidative folding independently of a Mia40 protein, providing for the first time strong evidence that the IMS disulfide relay evolved in a stepwise manner.See research article: 10.1186/s12915-017-0445-8.
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