A mitochondrial RNA maturase gene transferred to the yeast nucleus can control mitochondrial mRNA splicing.

bI4 maturase, encoded by the fourth intron of the yeast mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, controls the splicing of both the fourth intron of the cytochrome b gene and the fourth intron of the gene encoding subunit I of cytochrome oxidase. By fusing the encoding presequence of subunit 9 of the Neurospora ATPase to a restriction fragment containing the bI4 maturase coding sequence, we have constructed a hybrid gene that can be translated on yeast cytosolic ribosomes. The resulting protein is imported into mitochondria, which was revealed by its ability to restore to respiratory competence a yeast mutant defective in the bI4 maturase. Moreover, a protein reacting with antimaturase antibodies was detected in the mitochondria of the transformed cells; this imported maturase functioned similarly to the endogenous maturase.