The details of mRNA maturation in Saccharomyces mitochondria are not well understood. All seven mRNAs are transcribed as part of multigenic units. The mRNAs are processed at a common 3-dodecamer sequence, but the 5-ends have seven different sequences. To investigate whether apocytochrome b (COB) mRNA is processed at the 5-end from a longer precursor by an endonuclease or an exonuclease, a 64-nucleotide sequence, which is required for the protection of COB mRNA by the Cbp1 protein and is found at the 5-end of the processed COB mRNA, was duplicated in tandem. The wild-type 64-nucleotide element functioned in either the upstream or downstream position when paired with a mutant element. In the tandem wild-type strain, the 5-end of the mRNA was at the 5-end of the upstream unit, demonstrating that the mRNA is processed by an exonuclease. Accumulation of precursor COB RNA in single and double element strains with a deletion of PET127 demonstrated that the encoded protein governs the 5-exonuclease responsible for processing the precursor to the mature form.In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mitochondrial apocytochrome b (COB) 3 mRNA is transcribed from the tRNA glu -COB operon and is extensively processed before it reaches its mature form. Many aspects of this process have been well described; at least 15 nuclearly encoded proteins have been identified that control the metabolism of COB mRNA. As depicted in Fig. 1, the initial COB precursor is transcribed from position Ϫ1566, with the A of the AUG codon of COB defined as ϩ1, and contains both tRNA glu and COB mRNA (1, 2). Mitochondrial RNase P and a tRNA 3Ј-endonuclease cleave the initial precursor at positions Ϫ1170 and Ϫ1098, respectively, releasing tRNA glu from the precursor mRNA (3, 4). The mature mRNA is generated by further processing of the precursor RNA at position Ϫ955 or Ϫ954 (5). This trimming step and stabilization of the mature mRNA are not completely understood; however, it is known that the nuclearly encoded protein Cbp1 specifically controls the turnover (5-9) and translation (10) of COB mRNA. In cbp1 mutant strains, the level of tRNA glu is close to that of wild type, whereas precursor COB mRNA is reduced to 25% of wild-type levels and mature COB mRNA is undetectable.The best candidate for the mitochondrial nuclease that processes the COB precursor at Ϫ954/Ϫ955 is a mitochondrial membrane-bound protein, Pet127 (11). It is a member of a large protein family that is well conserved in fungi and protists but is not present in plants or mammals (12). In pet127 strains, 5Ј-end processing of COB, VAR1, and ATP8/6 mRNAs, 15 S rRNA (11), and RPM1, the mitochondrial RNase P RNA 4 (13) is blocked and unprocessed precursor RNAs accumulate to levels equivalent to the sum of processed and unprocessed RNAs in wild-type strains. These defects in processing only inhibit respiratory growth when the temperature is raised to 37°C (11). Pet127 could itself be the RNase that trims these 5Ј-ends, but the protein has no RNase signature sequences or domains. Alternatively, Pet127 c...