Yeast aconitase mitochondrial import is modulated by interactions of its C and N terminal domains and Ssa1/2 (Hsp70)

Molecules of single proteins, echoforms, can be distributed between two (or more) subcellular locations, a phenomenon which we refer to as dual targeting or dual localization. The yeast aconitase gene ACO1 (778 amino acids), encodes a single translation product that is nonetheless dual localized to the cytosol and mitochondria by a reverse translocation mechanism. The solved crystal structure of aconitase isolated from porcine heart mitochondria shows that it has four domains. The first three tightly associated N-terminal domains are tethered to the larger C-terminal fourth domain (C-terminal amino acids 517–778). We have previously shown that the aconitase C terminal domain constitutes an independent dual targeting signal when fused to mitochondria-targeted passenger-proteins. We show that the aconitase N and C-terminal domains interact and that this interaction is important for efficient aconitase post translational import into mitochondria and for aconitase dual targeting (relative levels of aconitase echoforms). Our results suggest a “chaperone-like function” of the C terminal domain towards the N terminal domains which can be modulated by Ssa1/2 (cytosolic Hsp70).