Msp1-dependent extraction promotes ubiquitylation of translocation-stalled mitochondrial precursor proteins

The translocase of the outer membrane (TOM complex) imports more than 1,000 proteins into mitochondria. Clogging of the TOM pore with a precursor protein causes proteotoxic stress and eventually cell death. Two quality control pathways remove translocation-stalled precursor proteins. In the mitochondrial protein translocation-associated degradation (mitoTAD), Ubx2 recruits the cytosolic AAA-ATPase Cdc48 to clear precursor proteins from the TOM complex. In the mitochondrial compromised protein import response (mitoCPR), the stress-induced Cis1 recruits the AAA-ATPase Msp1 to Tom70. The role of Msp1 for the removal of mitochondrial precursor proteins remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that parallel loss of Msp1 and Ubx2 strongly affects removal of precursor proteins and cell viability. Msp1 and Ubx2 bind independently of import stress and Cis1 to the TOM complex to remove a large variety of precursor proteins. Msp1-dependent extraction promotes ubiquitylation of precursor proteins, which in turn allows Ubx2-recruited Cdc48 to transfer the substrates to proteasomal degradation. We conclude that two AAA-ATPases cooperate in mitochondrial precursor quality control. Msp1-dependent extraction from the TOM complex facilitates precursor ubiquitylation and Cdc48-mediated transfer to proteasomal degradation.