After half a century mitochondrial calcium in- and efflux machineries reveal themselves

作者：Drago Ilaria; Pizzo Paola; Pozzan Tullio^*

来源：The EMBO Journal, 2011, 30(20): 4119-4125.

DOI：10.1038/emboj.2011.337

• calcium
• MCU
• MICU1
• mitochondria
• NCLX

Mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake and release play a fundamental role in the control of different physiological processes, such as cytoplasmic Ca(2+) signalling, ATP production and hormone metabolism, while dysregulation of mitochondrial Ca(2+) handling triggers the cascade of events that lead to cell death. The basic mechanisms of mitochondrial Ca(2+) homeostasis have been firmly established for decades, but the molecular identities of the channels and transporters responsible for Ca(2+) uptake and release have remained mysterious until very recently. Here, we briefly review the main findings that have led to our present understanding of mitochondrial Ca(2+) homeostasis and its integration in cell physiology. We will then discuss the recent work that has unravelled the biochemical identity of three key molecules: NCLX, the mitochondrial Na(+)/Ca(2+) antiporter, MCU, the pore-forming subunit of the mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake channel, and MICU1, one of its regulatory subunits.

• 出版日期2011-10-19