title: The Function of the Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter in Neurodegenerative Disorders.
abstract: The mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU)-a calcium uniporter on the inner membrane of mitochondria-controls the mitochondrial calcium uptake in normal and abnormal situations. Mitochondrial calcium is essential for the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP); however, excessive calcium will induce mitochondrial dysfunction. Calcium homeostasis disruption and mitochondrial dysfunction is observed in many neurodegenerative disorders. However, the role and regulatory mechanism of the MCU in the development of these diseases are obscure. In this review, we summarize the role of the MCU in controlling oxidative stress-elevated mitochondrial calcium and its function in neurodegenerative disorders. Inhibition of the MCU signaling pathway might be a new target for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
authors.affiliation: The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, No. 27 Taiping Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100039, China. lyajin@163.com.|The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. lyajin@163.com.
authors.forename: Yajin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao 266071, China. juliadong829@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. cheng_jinbo@126.com.
authors.forename: Jinbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C034703:mitochondrial calcium uniporter; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D002118:Calcium
keywords: MCU; inflammation; iron overload; neurodegenerative disorder; oxidative stress