An ABC transporter in the mitochondrial inner membrane is required for normal growth of yeast

In an attempt to identify a mitochondrial ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter, we have used the polymerase chain reaction to amplify 10 DNA fragments homologous to members of the ABC family from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We disrupted five of the corresponding genes and found that one of the resulting null mutants barely grew on rich medium and failed to grow on minimal medium. This gene, termed ATM1, encodes a putative 'half-transporter' of 694 amino acids. Atm1p is synthesized with an N-terminal mitochondrial matrix-targeting signal and is located in the mitochondrial inner membrane, with its C-terminal ATPase domain exposed to the matrix. Cells lacking a functional ATM1 gene have an unstable mitochondrial genome and have white mitochondria that completely lack cytochromes. Atm1p is the first mitochondrial member of the ABC family to be identified and the only eukaryotic ABC transporter that has been shown to be necessary for normal cellular growth.