The Mtm1p carrier and pyridoxal 5′-phosphate cofactor trafficking in yeast mitochondria

• Recombinant yeast carrier Mtm1p stoichiometrically binds PLP.
• The mitochondrial proteome of Δmtm1 knockout yeast is depleted of PLP.
• 5-Aminolevulinate synthase is PLP-deficient in Δmtm1 yeast.
• Mtm1p carrier links PLP cofactor trafficking to mitochondrial iron metabolism.

Biochemical communication between the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial subsystems of the cell depends on solute carriers in the mitochondrial inner membrane that transport metabolites between the two compartments. We have expressed and purified a yeast mitochondrial carrier protein (Mtm1p, YGR257cp), originally identified as a manganese ion carrier, for biochemical characterization aimed at resolving its function. High affinity, stoichiometric pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) cofactor binding was characterized by fluorescence titration and calorimetry, and the biochemical effects of mtm1 gene deletion on yeast mitochondria were investigated. The PLP status of the mitochondrial proteome (the mitochondrial ‘PLP-ome’) was probed by immunoblot analysis of mitochondria isolated from wild type (MTM1+) and knockout (MTM1−) yeast, revealing depletion of mitochondrial PLP in the latter. A direct activity assay of the enzyme catalyzing the first committed step of heme biosynthesis, the PLP-dependent mitochondrial enzyme 5-aminolevulinate synthase, extends these results, providing a specific example of PLP cofactor limitation. Together, these experiments support a role for Mtm1p in mitochondrial PLP trafficking and highlight the link between PLP cofactor transport and iron metabolism, a remarkable illustration of metabolic integration.