Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membranes in the Pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Shanshan Yang; Ruixue Zhou; Caixia Zhang; Siyuan He; Zhiguang Su

doi:10.3389/fcell.2020.571554

Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membranes in the Pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020 Oct 20:8:571554. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.571554. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Shanshan Yang¹, Ruixue Zhou¹, Caixia Zhang¹, Siyuan He¹, Zhiguang Su¹

Affiliation

¹ Molecular Medicine Research Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Abstract

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria are essential intracellular organelles that actively communicate via temporally and spatially formed contacts called mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs). These mitochondria-ER contacts are not only necessary for the physiological function of the organelles and their coordination with each other, but they also control the intracellular lipid exchange, calcium signaling, cell survival, and homeostasis in cellular metabolism. Growing evidence strongly supports the role of the mitochondria-ER connection in the insulin resistance of peripheral tissues, pancreatic β cell dysfunction, and the consequent development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this review, we summarize current advances in the understanding of the mitochondria-ER connection and specifically focus on addressing a new perspective of the alterations in mitochondria-ER communication in insulin signaling and β cell maintenance.

Keywords: diabetes; endoplasmic reticulum; insulin resistance; mitochondria; mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes; pancreatic β cell.

Publication types

Review