title: Evolving understanding of translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO).
abstract: The translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) has been the focus of intense research by the biomedical community and the pharmaceutical industry because of its apparent involvement in many disease-related processes. These include steroidogenesis, apoptosis, inflammation, neurological disease and cancer, resulting in the use of TSPO as a biomarker and its potential as a drug target. Despite more than 30 years of study, the precise function of TSPO remains elusive. A recent breakthrough in determining the high-resolution crystal structures of bacterial homologs of mitochondrial TSPO provides new insight into the structural and functional properties at a molecular level and new opportunities for investigating the significance of this ancient and highly conserved protein family. The availability of atomic level structural information from different species also provides a platform for structure-based drug development. Here we briefly review current knowledge regarding TSPO and the implications of the new structures with respect to hypotheses and controversies in the field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: R Michael
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Garavito
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address: fergus20@msu.edu.
authors.forename: Shelagh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferguson-Miller
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018079:Receptors, GABA / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; D018079:Receptors, GABA; C499229:TSPO protein, human
keywords: Benzodiazepine drugs; Cholesterol; Crystal structure; Ligand binding; Porphyrin; Steroid hormones; Stress response; Translocator protein 18kDa (TSPO); VDAC