The role of molecular chaperones in mitochondrial protein import and folding

Michael T. Ryan, Dean J. Naylor, Peter B. Høj, Margaret S. Clark, Nicholas J. Hoogenraad

Research output: Contribution to journalReview ArticleResearchpeer-review

50 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Molecular chaperones play a critical role in many cellular processes. This review concentrates on their role in targeting of proteins to the mitochondria and the subsequent folding of the imported protein. It also reviews the role of molecular chaperones in protein degradation, a process that not only regulates the turnover of proteins but also eliminates proteins that have folded incorrectly or have aggregated as a result of cell stress. Finally, the role of molecular chaperones, in particular the mitochondrial chaperonins, in disease is reviewed. In support of the endosymbiont theory on the origin of mitochondria, the chaperones of the mitochondrial compartment show a high degree of similarity to bacterial molecular chaperones. Thus, studies of protein folding in bacteria such as Escherichia coli have proved to be instructive in understanding the process in the eukaryotic cell. As in bacteria, the molecular chaperone genes of eukaryotes are activated by a variety of stresses. The regulation of stress genes involved in mitochondrial chaperone function is reviewed and major unsolved questions regarding the regulation, function, and involvement in disease of the molecular chaperones are identified.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)127-193
Number of pages67
JournalInternational Review of Cytology
Volume174
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1997
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Heat shock
  • Mitochondria
  • Molecular chaperone
  • Protein folding
  • Protein import
  • Proteolysis

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