Translocase Of Outer Mitochondrial Membrane 7 (TOMM7)

TOM7 is a small regulatory component of the translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane (TOM), a general import pore complex that translocates preproteins into mitochondria.TOM7 shares significant similarity with yeast, plant, nematode, and mouse Tom7. All Tom7 proteins contain a conserved motif that includes a proline residue essential for targeting Tom7 to the mitochondrial outer membrane in yeast. Fluorescence-tagged TOM7 colocalized with mitochondrial markers in transfected COS-7 cells.Unlike its fungal counterparts, human TOM7 assembled into an import intermediate in HeLa cell mitochondria that had an apparent molecular mass of about 120 kD. The intermediate was later incorporated into a stable complex of about 380 kD.