Project Summary
The mitochondrial protein import machinery mediates import of more than 1000 different pre-cursor proteins from the cytosol and has been considered to be constitutively active. We showed that the central entry gate at the outer membrane, the TOM complex, is regulated by cytosolic kinases to adjust precursor influx to cellular demands. Here, we aim to decipher the molecular details function of phosphorylation of the import receptor TOM22 by MAP kinases and their (patho)physiological consequences. We will also characterize phosphatase candidates that dephosphorylate TOM subunits and investigate their role in regulation of protein import.
