A NUCLEAR GENETIC LESION AFFECTING SACCHAROMYCES-CEREVISIAE MITOCHONDRIAL TRANSLATION IS COMPLEMENTED BY A HOMOLOGOUS BACILLUS GENE

A novel Bacillus gene nas isolated and characterized. It encodes a hom olog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pet112p, a protein that has no charac terized relative and is dispensable for cell viability but required fo r mitochondrial translation. Expression of the Bacillus protein in yea st, modified to ensure mitochondrial targeting, partially complemented the phenotype of the pet112-1 mutation, demonstrating a high degree o f evolutionary conservation for this as yet unidentified component of translation.