Mtrf1l, a member of the mitochondrial release factor family, is a crucial mitochondrial translation factor. Mitochondrial translation, where mtDNA-encoded genes are translated into proteins, is vital for mitochondrial function and biogenesis, and Mtrf1l coordinates the translation termination phase [3].

In bovine oocytes, the transcript level of Mtrf1l was found to be significantly different (P˂0.01) between germinal vesicle stage (GV) oocytes with greater developmental competence from medium follicles and those with less developmental competence from small follicles, indicating its potential role in oocyte developmental competence [1]. Through large-scale coevolution analysis, a novel protein-protein interaction (PPI) between LYRM1-Mtrf1l was identified, which may help predict the molecular functions and biological processes Mtrf1l is involved in [2]. Also, HEMK1, a mammalian enzyme, can methylate the glutamine residue of the GGQ motif of Mtrf1l, although the functional significance of this modification in cell growth and mitochondrial protein homeostasis in HeLa cells under normal culture conditions seems dispensable [4].

In conclusion, Mtrf1l is an important mitochondrial translation factor. Its role in oocyte developmental competence in bovine and potential involvement in protein-protein interactions and post-translational modifications as revealed through these studies suggest its significance in mitochondrial-related biological processes. However, more research, potentially including gene knockout or conditional knockout models, is needed to fully understand its functions in specific disease areas.