German scientists drew the first complete mitochondrial protein map

  German scientists recently reported that they have mapped the distribution of proteins in the mitochondria of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is the first complete and high-resolution map of mitochondrial protein distribution in the world   Mitochondria are the organelles that provide energy in cells They are called "energy factories" of cells In addition, mitochondria are involved in the regulation of cell differentiation, growth, apoptosis and information transmission It is of great significance to understand the protein distribution in mitochondria for further understanding of protein function and cell activity, as well as for exploring the pathogenesis of many diseases   The chemical components of mitochondria mainly include water, protein and lipid In addition, there are a small amount of coenzyme and nucleic acid Protein accounts for 65-70% of mitochondrial dry weight There are soluble and insoluble proteins in mitochondria Soluble proteins are mainly enzymes located in the mitochondrial matrix and peripheral proteins of the membrane; insoluble proteins constitute the membrane body, some of which are mosaic proteins and some are enzymes Lipids in mitochondria are mainly distributed in two layers of membrane, accounting for 20-30% of dry weight Phospholipids in mitochondria account for more than 3 / 4 of total lipids The amount of phospholipids in the mitochondrial membrane of different tissues of the same organism is relatively stable The rich cardiolipin and less cholesterol are the obvious differences between mitochondria and other membrane structures   Mitochondrion has its own genetic material and genetic system, but its genome size is limited, and it is a semi autonomous organelle In addition to providing energy for cells, mitochondria also participate in such processes as cell differentiation, cell information transmission and apoptosis, and have the ability to regulate cell growth and cell cycle   Mitochondria can be divided into four functional areas: outer membrane, membrane space, inner membrane and matrix Researchers from Freiburg University and other institutions recently reported in the British journal Nature communication that they studied 986 proteins in the mitochondria of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and confirmed which functional region 818 of them are located in the mitochondria In addition, they found 206 proteins previously thought to be absent from mitochondria   Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a model organism commonly used in biological research Like human beings, it belongs to eukaryote with nucleus Many basic physiological processes of the two are similar The researchers said their map of mitochondrial protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae will be the basis for further study of other biological mitochondria, including the human mitochondria with more than 1500 proteins