Abstract: Mitochondrial translation，essential for synthesis of the electron transport chain complexes in the mitochondria，is governed by nuclear encoded gene. This paper aims to reveal the main function of Mef2 protein in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. First，we constructed the strain of mef2 gene deletion by homologous recombination，and observed its growth phenotype in non-fermentative medium with glycerol as the sole carbon source. Second，the bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that the N-terminal of Mef2 contained a mitochondrial localization sequence（MTS）consisting of 31 amino acids. To further determine the localization of Mef2 protein，a GFP fluorescent label was added to the C-terminus of Mef2 to observe GFP green fluorescence. Third，Northern blotting was used to detect the effect of mef2 deletion on the level of mitochondrial genome encoding mRNAs. Finally，Western blotting was employed to detect the influence of the deletion of mef2 on the expression of mitochondrial genome-encoded protein. The results showed that Δmef2 strain caused growth defects on non-fermentation medium，which was one with mitochondrial respiratory defect. GFP green fluorescence localization experiments confirmed that Mef2 was localized in mitochondria. Northern blotting revealed that the deletion of mef2 did not affect the transcription of mRNAs encoded by the mitochondrial genome. Western blotting showed that the deletion of mef2 resulted in decrease in the expression of Cox1，Cox3，Atp6，and Cob1 proteins. In summary，Mef2 is a protein that is closely related to mitochondrial function and is involved in the translation of mitochondrial encoded proteins Cox1，Cox3，Atp6，and Cob1.

Key words: mitochondrial, respiratory chain, mef2, Schizosaccharomyces pombe