Manuscript published in Cell Metabolism by Dasmanthie De Silva and Flavia Fontanesi and Antoni Barrientos

“The DEAD box protein Mrh4 functions in the assembly of the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit” by Dasmanthie De Silva, Flavia Fontanesi and Antoni Barrientos.

Mitochondria contain their own ribosomes, which specialize in the synthesis of a handful of proteins required for oxidative phosphorylation. The pathway of mitoribosomal biogenesis and factors involved are poorly characterized. Here, we have identified the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial DEAD box protein Mrh4 as essential for large mitoribosome subunit biogenesis. Mrh4 interacts with the 21S rRNA, mitoribosome subassemblies, and fully assembled mitoribosomes. In the absence of Mrh4, the 21S rRNA is matured and forms part of a large on-pathway assembly intermediate missing proteins Mrpl16 and Mrpl39. We conclude that Mrh4 plays an essential role during the late stages of mitoribosome assembly by promoting remodeling of the 21S rRNA-protein interactions.

[Article]

[U Miami Miller School of Medicine News]