Mitochondrial permeability transitions: how many doors to the house?
The inner mitochondrial membrane is famously impermeable to solutes not provided with a specific carrier. When this impermeability is lost, either in a developmental context or under stress, the consequences for the cell can be far-reaching. Permeabilization of isolated mitochondria, studied since the early days of the field, is often discussed as if it were a biochemically well-defined phenomenon, occurring by a unique mechanism. On the contrary, evidence has been accumulating that it may be the common outcome of several distinct processes, involving different proteins or protein complexes, depending on circumstances. A clear definition of this putative variety is a prerequisite for an understanding of mitochondrial permeabilization within cells, of its roles in the life of organisms, and of the possibilities for pharmacological intervention.
Zoratti
Mario
M
CNR Institute of Neuroscience, Biomembranes Section, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova, Italy. zoratti@bio.unipd.it
Szabò
Ildikò
I
De Marchi
Umberto
U
D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D000081406:Peptidyl-Prolyl Isomerase F; D021983:Cyclophilins / Q000378:metabolism; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008024:Ligands; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D000226:Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010539:Permeability; D018272:Porins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
D000081406:Peptidyl-Prolyl Isomerase F; D008024:Ligands; D018272:Porins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D000226:Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases; D021983:Cyclophilins; D002118:Calcium