Antibodies against a fused 'lacZ-yeast mitochondrial intron' gene product allow identification of the mRNA maturase encoded by the fourth intron of the yeast cob-box gene.

Several missense or nonsense mutations have been localized in the fourth intron open reading frame (ORF) of the yeast mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. These results and the phenotypes of mutants strongly suggested that a mRNA maturase, controlling the expression of both cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COXI) genes, is encoded in this ORF. To investigate more directly the biosynthesis of mRNA maturase we raised antibodies against a part of the putative ORF translation product. For that purpose we inserted a fragment of the ORF sequence, in phase, into the C-terminal EcoRI site of lacZ gene. The hybrid gene was then expressed in Escherichia coli under the control of either the wild-type lac promoter or the thermoregulated lambda system PR/cI857. The hybrid protein was partially purified and antibodies were raised against it. These antibodies recognized a mitochondrially coded protein, p27, in intron mutants, whereas no such protein was detected in the wild-type cell. These results demonstrate that the p27 protein, previously shown to be associated with the mRNA maturase activity, is actually translated from the intron ORF. The autoregulated mRNA maturase synthesis model is discussed in relation to these results.