Mitochondria maintained a genome during evolution to synthesize core subunits of the oxidative phosphorylation system. Expression of the mitochondrial genome requires intraorganellar replication, transcription, and translation. Membrane-associated ribosomes translate mitochondrial-encoded proteins and facilitate co-translational insertion of newly synthesized polypeptides into the inner membrane. Considering that mitochondrial-encoded proteins assemble with imported, nuclear-encoded proteins into enzyme complexes of the oxidative phosphorylation system, it is expected that expression of mitochondrial genes should adapt to the availability of their nuclear-encoded partners. Recent work shows that mitochondrial translation is influenced by the cellular environment. We discuss how mitochondrial translation is affected by the cellular environment and propose models of translational plasticity that modulate mitochondrial translation in response to the availability of imported proteins.

线粒体在进化过程中维持基因组以合成氧化磷酸化系统的核心亚基。线粒体基因组的表达需要细胞内复制，转录和翻译。膜相关核糖体翻译线粒体编码的蛋白质，并促进新合成多肽向内膜的共翻译插入。考虑到线粒体编码蛋白与进口的核编码蛋白组装成氧化磷酸化系统的酶复合物，因此预期线粒体基因的表达应适应其核编码伴侣的可用性。最近的工作表明线粒体翻译受细胞环境的影响。