title: Unresolved questions from the analysis of mice lacking MCU expression.
abstract: Entry of mitochondrial calcium is believed to play an essential role in regulating bioenergetics and initiating cell death pathways. We have recently described a mouse model lacking MCU expression. Surprisingly, these mice are viable and the cells and tissues from these animals do not exhibit any marked protection from cell death. Here, we discuss our findings as well as potential explanations for some of the more unexpected results.
authors.affiliation: Systems Biology Center, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: murphy1@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Medicine, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Systems Biology Center, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Medicine, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Medicine, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Kira M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Holmström
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Medicine, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: finkelt@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Toren
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Finkel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics*; D016923:Cell Death; D002460:Cell Line; D051379:Mice; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; C034703:mitochondrial calcium uniporter; D002118:Calcium