title: [Dialogues between cell nuclei and mitochondria].
abstract: Mitochondria are not only ATP producing organelles, but they play pivotal roles in apoptosis, neurodegeneration, cancer and aging. Mammalian mitochondrial genome is a small DNA molecule of about 16.5 kb, encoding less than 20 polypeptides and a set of ribosomal RNAs and tRNAs. In order to ensure proper cell functioning a continous communication between cell nucleus and mitochondria must be maintained. This review presents novel developments in the field of nucleo-mitochondrial communications. We discuss the import of regulatory cytosolic miRNAs into mitochondria, export of RNA from mitochondria, the existence of novel 3 polypeptides encoded by the mitochondrial genome and the transfer of mitochondrial DNA to nuclear genomes. Mechanisms of these processes and their significance for cellular homeostasis are poorly known and present an important challenge for molecular biology.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szewczyk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.|Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 5a Pawińskiego St., 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.|Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Stępień
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D002875:Chromosomes; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000378:metabolism; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D012313:RNA
keywords: NUMTs; RNA export from mitochondria; RNA import to mitochondria; mitochondrial polypeptides; non-coding RNA; nucleo-mitochondrial localization