EMAt1

EMAt1 is a fictional protein commonly used in teaching materials to illustrate the organization and function of mitochondrial assembly factors in eukaryotic cells. The acronym EMAt1 stands for Eukaryotic Mitochondrial Assembly factor 1, and the entity is not known to exist in real organisms outside of educational contexts.

In hypothetical model organisms, EMAt1 is described as a matrix-located protein imported through an N-terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence and predicted to participate in the late stages of respiratory chain assembly, particularly for Complex I and Complex III. It is proposed to interact with chaperones and other assembly factors, helping to stabilize assembly intermediates. Loss of EMAt1 function in simulations is said to reduce respiratory efficiency and increase reactive oxygen species under high metabolic demand.

Gene and protein features described in teaching materials depict a gene with six exons and a coding sequence of about 1.4 kilobases, yielding a protein of roughly 450 amino acids. Predicted domains include an N-terminal targeting motif, a coiled-coil region, and a C-terminal regulatory tail. Expression is typically depicted as ubiquitous with upregulation under metabolic stress in silico models.

In education and curriculum design, EMAt1 is used to illustrate concepts such as gene knockouts, mitochondrial localization, assembly pathways, and how phenotypes are inferred from respiration assays. It does not correspond to a real human gene or disease and is not annotated in public sequence databases. If EMAt1 is encountered outside teaching context, it is likely a placeholder, and researchers should consult real databases for authentic mitochondrial assembly factors.