The molecular era of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter.
The mitochondrial calcium uniporter is an evolutionarily conserved calcium channel, and its biophysical properties and relevance to cell death, bioenergetics and signalling have been investigated for decades. However, the genes encoding this channel have only recently been discovered, opening up a new 'molecular era' in the study of its biology. We now know that the uniporter is not a single protein but rather a macromolecular complex consisting of pore-forming and regulatory subunits. We review recent studies that harnessed the power of molecular biology and genetics to characterize the mechanism of action of the uniporter, its evolution and its contribution to physiology and human disease.
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge Street 6th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Kimberli J
KJ
Kamer
Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge Street 6th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.|Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.|Broad Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
Vamsi K
VK
Mootha
D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular
D015220:Calcium Channels; C034703:mitochondrial calcium uniporter