Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing Techniques and Discoveries in Protein Synthesis and Assembly Through Innovative Mitochondrial Research
Published on: June 7, 2024
Biolistic transformation of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial DNA
Leticia Veloso Ribeiro Franco1, Mario H Barros1
1Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract:
The insertion of genes into mitochondria by biolistic transformation is currently only possible in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The fact that S. cerevisiae mitochondria can exist with partial (ρ- mutants) or complete deletions (ρ0 mutants) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), without requiring a specific origin of replication, enables the propagation of exogenous sequences. Additionally, mtDNA in this organism undergoes efficient homologous recombination, making it well-suited for genetic manipulation. In this review, we present a summarized historical overview of the development of biolistic transformation and discuss iconic applications of the technique. We also provide a detailed example on how to obtain transformants with recombined foreign DNA in their mitochondrial genome.
Related Concept Videos
Animal Mitochondrial Genetics
Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes
Gene Conversion
Transformation
Translocation of Proteins into the Mitochondria
Sorting of outer membrane proteins:
Mitochondrial outer membrane proteins are of two types: the transmembrane, beta-barrel porins, and the membrane-anchored, alpha-helical proteins. Beta-barrel porin precursors are translocated by the TOM complex and inserted into the outer mitochondrial membrane by the SAM complex. In contrast,...

