Identification of a groES-like chaperonin in mitochondria that facilitates protein folding.

Mitochondria contain a polypeptide that is functionally equivalent to Escherichia coli chaperonin 10 (cpn10; also known as groES). This mitochondrial cpn10 has been identified in beef and rat liver and is able to replace bacterial cpn10 in the chaperonin-dependent reconstitution of chemically denatured ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase. Thus, like the bacterial homologue, mitochondrial cpn10 facilitates a K(+)- and Mg.