title: Mitochondrial ion channels: gatekeepers of life and death.
abstract: Continuous generation of ATP by mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is essential to maintain function in mechanically active cells such as cardiomyocytes. Emerging evidence indicates that mitochondrial ion channels activated by reactive oxygen species can induce a mitochondrial "critical" state, which can scale to cause electrical and contractile dysfunction of the cardiac cell and, ultimately, the whole heart. Here we focus on how mitochondrial ion channels participate in life-and-death decisions of the cell and discuss the challenges ahead for translating recent findings into novel therapeutic applications.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Cardiobiology, Division of Cardiology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. bor@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Rourke
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cortassa
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Aon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D007511:Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D008929:Mitochondria, Heart / Q000378:metabolism*; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000502:physiology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species