Biogenesis of the mitochondrial enzyme methylmalonyl-CoA mutase. Synthesis and processing of a precursor in a cell-free system and in cultured cells.

Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (EC 5.4.99.2; mutase), a cytoplasmically synthesized mitochondrial matrix enzyme, is translated in a cell-free system programmed with rat liver RNA as a larger precursor polypeptide, designated pre-mutase, which appears to be 3-4 kDa larger than the subunit of purified mutase (77.5 kDa). When pre-mutase is incubated with intact rat liver mitochondria, it is taken up by them and proteolytically processed to the size of the mature subunit. The overall reaction is inhibited by compounds such as dinitrophenol which disrupt mitochondrial energy metabolism. The final, proteolytic step can be carried out by the mitochondrial matrix in the presence of added Zn2+ and is inhibited by metal ion chelators and by certain protease inhibitors (e.g. leupeptin and p-aminobenzamidine). Newly synthesized mutase was also detected in intact, cultured Buffalo rat liver cells labeled with [3H] leucine in the presence of dinitrophenol. When dinitrophenol is removed in a pulse-chase protocol, the accumulated pre-mutase is rapidly (t1/2 = 6-9 min) converted to mutase. On the other hand, when the chase is performed in the presence of the inhibitor, the labeled pre-mutase persists for greater than 5 h. This long term stability of pre-mutase contrasts sharply with the instability previously reported for unprocessed precursors of two other mitochondrial enzymes.