title: Mitochondrial Ca2+ channels: Great unknowns with important functions.
abstract: Mitochondria process local and global Ca(2+) signals. Thereby the spatiotemporal patterns of mitochondrial Ca(2+) signals determine whether the metabolism of these organelles is adjusted or cell death is executed. Mitochondrial Ca(2+) channels of the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) actually implement mitochondrial uptake from cytosolic Ca(2+) rises. Despite great efforts in the past, the identity of mitochondrial Ca(2+) channels is still elusive. Numerous studies aimed to characterize mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniport channels and provided a detailed profile of these great unknowns with important functions. This mini-review revisits previous research on the mechanisms of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake and aligns them with most recent findings.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Center of Molecular Medicine, Medical University Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malli
authors.forename: Wolfgang F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Graier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D002118:Calcium