The cleavable prepiece of an imported mitochondrial protein is sufficient to direct cytosolic dihydrofolate reductase into the mitochondrial matrix.
The cleavable prepiece of the precursor to yeast cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV (an imported mitochondrial protein) was attached to the amino-terminus of mouse dihydrofolate reductase (a cytosolic protein) by gene fusion. The resulting fusion protein was imported into the matrix of isolated, energized yeast mitochondria and cleaved to a polypeptide whose size was similar to that of authentic dihydrofolate reductase.
D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism*; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000502:physiology; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology*; D013762:Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D004792:Enzyme Precursors; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D013762:Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases