Properties of the C-terminal Tail of Human Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Protein Oxa1L and Its Interactions with Mammalian Mitochondrial Ribosomes

In humans the mitochondrial inner membrane protein Oxa1L is involved in the biogenesis of membrane proteins and facilitates the insertion of both mitochondrial- and nuclear-encoded proteins from the mitochondrial matrix into the inner membrane. The C-terminal ∼100-amino acid tail of Oxa1L (Oxa1L-CTT) binds to mitochondrial ribosomes and plays a role in the co-translational insertion of mitochondria-synthesized proteins into the inner membrane. Contrary to suggestions made for yeast Oxa1p, our results indicate that the C-terminal tail of human Oxa1L does not form a coiled-coil helical structure in solution. The Oxa1L-CTT exists primarily as a monomer in solution but forms dimers and tetramers at high salt concentrations. The binding of Oxa1L-CTT to mitochondrial ribosomes is an enthalpy-driven process with a K_d of 0.3–0.8 μm and a stoichiometry of 2. Oxa1L-CTT cross-links to mammalian mitochondrial homologs of the bacterial ribosomal proteins L13, L20, and L28 and to mammalian mitochondrial specific ribosomal proteins MRPL48, MRPL49, and MRPL51. Oxa1L-CTT does not cross-link to proteins decorating the conventional exit tunnel of the bacterial large ribosomal subunit (L22, L23, L24, and L29).