Regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial calcium uptake by the calcium uniporter complex

Akiko Yamada; Akira Watanabe; Takenori Yamamoto

doi:10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v20.0004

Regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial calcium uptake by the calcium uniporter complex

Biophys Physicobiol. 2023 Jan 19;20(1):e200004. doi: 10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v20.0004. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Akiko Yamada¹, Akira Watanabe², Takenori Yamamoto^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8310, Japan.
² Institute for Genome Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
³ Division of Molecular Target and Gene Therapy Products, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan.

Abstract

Mitochondria play an important role in energy conversion as well as in intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) storage. Ca²⁺ uptake from the cytosol to the mitochondria is mediated by the calcium uniporter, which functions as a Ca²⁺ ion channel. However, the molecular composition of this uniporter has remained unclear until recently. The Ca²⁺ ion channel consists of seven subunits. The yeast reconstitution technique revealed that the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) and essential MCU regulatory element (EMRE) are the core subunits of the complex. Furthermore, detailed structure-function analyses of the core subunits (MCU and EMRE) were performed. In this review, the regulatory mechanism of mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uptake is discussed.

Keywords: calcium; ion channel; mitochondria; yeast.

2023 THE BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN.