10 kDa heat shock protein, mitochondrial (HSPE1)

Together with Hsp60, eases the correct folding of imported proteins. May also prevent misfolding and promote the refolding and proper assembly of unfolded polypeptides generated under stress conditions in the mitochondrial matrix (PubMed:7912672, PubMed:1346131, PubMed:11422376).

The functional units of these chaperonins consist of heptameric rings of the large subunit Hsp60, which serve as a back-to-back double ring. At a cyclic reaction, Hsp60 ring complexes bind one unfolded substrate protein per ring, followed by the binding of ATP and association with two heptameric rings of the co-chaperonin Hsp10.