Tom40 forms the hydrophilic channel of the mitochondrial import pore for preproteins

The mitochondrial outer membrane contains machinery for the import of preproteins encoded by nuclear genes(1-3). Eight different Tom (translocase of outer membrane) proteins have been identified that function as receptors and/or are related to a hypothetical general import pore. Many mitochondrial membrane channel activities have been described(4-7), including one related to Tim23 of the inner-membrane protein-import system(5); however, the pore-forming subunit(s) of the Tom machinery have not been identified until now. Here we describe the expression and functional reconstitution of Tom40, an integral membrane protein with mainly beta-sheet structure. Tom40 forms a cation-selective high-conductance channel that specifically binds to and transports mitochondrial-targeting sequences added to the cis side of the membrane. We conclude that Tom40 is the pore-forming subunit of the mitochondrial general import pore and that it constitutes a hydrophilic, similar to 22 Angstrom wide channel for the import of preproteins.