title: Functional analysis of human metaxin in mitochondrial protein import in cultured cells and its relationship with the Tom complex.
abstract: Metaxin is an outer membrane protein of mammalian mitochondria which is suggested to be involved in protein import into the organelle. RNA blot analysis showed that distribution of metaxin mRNA in human tissues differs from that of mRNA for the translocase component Tom20. Effect of overexpression of human metaxin on mitochondrial preprotein import and processing in COS-7 cells was studied. Overexpression of metaxin resulted in impaired mitochondrial import of natural and chimeric preproteins and in their accumulation. We previously reported that overexpression of Tom20 in cultured cells causes inhibition of import of mitochondrial preprotein. Coexpression of metaxin with Tom20 had no further effect on the preprotein import. Overexpression of the cytosolic domain of metaxin also caused inhibition of preprotein import, although less strongly than the full-length metaxin. In blue native PAGE, Tom40, Tom22, and a portion of Tom20 migrated as a complex of approximately 400 kDa, and the other portion of Tom20 migrated in smaller forms of approximately 100 and approximately 40 kDa. On the other hand, metaxin migrated at a position of approximately 50 kDa. These results confirm earlier in vitro results that metaxin participates in preprotein import into mammalian mitochondria, and indicates that it does not associate with the Tom complex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Honjo 2-2-1, Kumamoto, 860-0811, Japan.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Abdul
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Streimann
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Hoogenraad
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; D000090622:Mitochondrial Precursor Protein Import Complex Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009954:Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D021381:Protein Transport; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: C093550:MTX1 protein, human; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; D000090622:Mitochondrial Precursor Protein Import Complex Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C084008:TOMM20 protein, human; C489971:TOMM22 protein, human; D009954:Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase