The myosin-related motor protein Myo2 is an essential mediator of bud-directed mitochondrial movement in yeast.

The inheritance of mitochondria in yeast depends on bud-directed transport along actin filaments. It is a matter of debate whether anterograde mitochondrial movement is mediated by the myosin-related motor protein Myo2 or by motor-independent mechanisms. We show that mutations in the Myo2 cargo binding domain impair entry of mitochondria into ...
the bud and are synthetically lethal with deletion of the YPT11 gene encoding a rab-type guanosine triphosphatase. Mitochondrial distribution defects and synthetic lethality were rescued by a mitochondria-specific Myo2 variant that carries a mitochondrial outer membrane anchor. Furthermore, immunoelectron microscopy revealed Myo2 on isolated mitochondria. Thus, Myo2 is an essential and direct mediator of bud-directed mitochondrial movement in yeast. Accumulating genetic evidence suggests that maintenance of mitochondrial morphology, Ypt11, and retention of mitochondria in the bud contribute to Myo2-dependent inheritance of mitochondria.
J. Cell Biol.
Date: Aug. 08, 2011
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