Crucial role and conservation of the three [2Fe-2S] clusters in the human mitochondrial ribosome

Mitochondria synthesize only a small set of their proteins on endogenous mitoribosomes. These particles differ in structure and composition from both their bacterial 70S ancestors and cytosolic 80S ribosomes. Recently published high resolution structures of the human mitoribosome revealed the presence of three [2Fe-2S] clusters in the small and large subunits. Each of these clusters is coordinated in a bridging fashion by cysteine residues from two different mitoribosomal proteins. Here, we investigated the cell biological and biochemical roles of all three iron-sulfur clusters in mitochondrial function and assembly. First, we found a requirement of both early and late factors of the mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster assembly machinery for protein translation indicating that not only the mitoribosome [2Fe-2S] clusters but also the [4Fe-4S] cluster of the mitoribosome assembly factor METTL17 are required for mitochondrial translation. Second, siRNA-mediated depletion of the cluster-coordinating ribosomal proteins bS18m, mS25, or mL66 and complementation with either the respective WT or cysteine-exchange proteins unveiled the importance of the clusters for assembly, stability, and function of the human mitoribosome. As a consequence, the lack of cluster binding to mitoribosomes impaired the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes and led to altered mitochondrial morphology with a loss of cristae membranes. Finally, in silico investigation of the phylogenetic distribution of the cluster-coordinating cysteine motifs indicated their presence in most metazoan mitoribosomes, with exception of ray-finned fish. Collectively, our study highlights the functional need of mitochondrial iron-sulfur protein biogenesis for both protein translation and respiratory energy supply in most metazoan mitochondria.