The sulfhydryl oxidase Erv1 is a substrate of the Mia40-dependent protein translocation pathway

The thiol oxidase Erv1 and the redox-regulated receptor Mia40/Tim40 are components of a disulfide relay system which mediates import of proteins into the intermembrane space (IMS) of mitochondria. Here we report that Erv1 requires Mia40 for its import into mitochondria. After passage across the translocase of the mitochondrial outer membrane Erv1 interacts via disulfide bonds with Mia40. Erv1 does not contain twin “CX3C” or twin “CX9C” motifs which are crucial for import of typical substrates of this pathway and it does not need two “CX2C” motifs for import into mitochondria. Thus, Erv1 represents an unusual type of substrate of the Mia40-dependent import pathway.