title: Mitochondrial uncoupling proteins--facts and fantasies.
abstract: Instead of a comprehensive review, we describe the basic undisputed facts and a modest contribution of our group to the fascinating area of the research on mitochondrial uncoupling proteins. After defining the terms uncoupling, leak, protein-mediated uncoupling, we discuss the assumption that due to their low abundance the novel mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCP2 to UCP5) can provide only a mild uncoupling, i.e. can decrease the proton motive force by several mV only. Contrary to this, the highly thermogenic role of UCP1 in brown adipose tissue is not given only by its high content (approximately 5 % of mitochondrial proteins) but also by the low ATP synthase content and high capacity respiratory chain. Fatty acid cycling mechanism as a plausible explanation for the protonophoretic function of all UCPs and some other mitochondrial carriers is described together with the experiments supporting it. The phylogenesis of all UCPs, estimated UCP2 content in several tissues, and details of UCP2 activation are described on the basis of our experiments. Functional activation of UCP2 is proposed to decrease reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Moreover, reaction products of lipoperoxidation such as cleaved hydroperoxy-fatty acids and hydroxy-fatty acid can activate UCP2 and promote feedback down-regulation of mitochondrial ROS production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Membrane Transport Biophysics, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic. jezek@biomed.cas.cz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jezek
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zácková
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Růzicka
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Skobisová
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jabůrek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000378:metabolism*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D000071256:Uncoupling Protein 1
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D007473:Ion Channels; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C000604371:UCP1 protein, human; D000071256:Uncoupling Protein 1