Aim23p Interacts with the Yeast Mitochondrial Ribosomal Small Subunit.

Protein synthesis in mitochondria is generally organized in a bacterial-like manner but, at the same time, possesses several unique traits. Translation initiation in mitochondria is regulated by two protein factors, mtIF2 and mtIF3. Previously we demonstrated that Saccharomyces cerevisiae Aim23 protein is an ortholog of IF3 in budding yeast. However, the data on the interactions between Aim23p and other proteins are limited. Here, we demonstrated that Aim23p interacts with the yeast mitochondrial ribosomal small subunit both in vivo and in vitro using co-immunoprecipitation and density gradient sedimentation.