The N-terminal 21 amino acids of a 70 kDa protein of the yeast mitochondrial outer membrane direct E. coli beta-galactosidase into the mitochondrial matrix space in yeast cells.

The intracellular location of fusion proteins was investigated in yeast cells. They consisted of the N-terminal 21, 61 or 292 amino acids of the 70 kDa protein of the yeast mitochondrial outer membrane and an enzymatically active E. coli beta-galactosidase. The hybrids containing 61 or 292 residues of the 70 kDa protein, as well as the original 70 kDa protein, were localized on the outer membrane in a tightly membrane-bound form. In contrast, the other hybrid was exclusively localized in the mitochondrial matrix space as a soluble protein.