Mitochondrial K(ATP) channels in cell survival and death.
Since the discovery of the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel (mitoK(ATP)) more than 13 years ago, it has been implicated in the processes of ischemic preconditioning (IPC), apoptosis and mitochondrial matrix swelling. Different approaches have been employed to characterize the pharmacological profile of the channel, and these studies strongly suggest that cellular protection well correlates with the opening of mitoK(ATP). However, there are many questions regarding mitoK(ATP) that remain to be answered. These include the very existence of mitoK(ATP) itself, its degree of importance in the process of IPC, its response to different pharmacological agents, and how its activation leads to the process of IPC and protection against cell death. Recent findings suggest that mitoK(ATP) may be a complex of multiple mitochondrial proteins, including some which have been suggested to be components of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. However, the identity of the pore-forming unit of the channel and the details of the interactions between these proteins remain unclear. In this review, we attempt to highlight the recent advances in the physiological role of mitoK(ATP) and discuss the controversies and unanswered questions.
Institute of Molecular Cardiobiology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205-2195, USA.
Hossein
H
Ardehali
Brian
B
O'Rourke
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D016923:Cell Death; D019069:Cell Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival; D003981:Diazoxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D032342:Muscle Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D015221:Potassium Channels; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C117780:mitochondrial K(ATP) channel; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D003981:Diazoxide; D002118:Calcium