Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) export from the mitochondrial matrix

Studies on mitochondria protein import had revealed in detail molecular mechanisms of how peptides and proteins could be selectively targeted and translocated across membrane bound organelles. The opposite process of mitochondrial export, while known to occur in various aspects of cellular physiology and pathology, is less well understood. Two very recent reports have indicated that a large mitochondrial matrix protein complex, the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) (or its component subunits), could be exported to the lysosomes and the nucleus, respectively. In the case of the latter, evidence was presented to suggest that the entire complex of 8-10 MDa could translocate in its entirety from the mitochondrial matrix to the nucleus upon mitogenic or stress stimuli. We discuss these findings in perspective to what is currently known about the processes of transport in and out of the mitochondrion.