Department of Biology, University of Padova, Viale G. Colombo, 3, 35131 Padova, Italy.
CNR Institute of Neuroscience, Viale G. Colombo, 3, 35131 Padova, Italy; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Viale G. Colombo, 3, 35131 Padova, Italy.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2018 May 27;500(1):51-58. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.06.095. Epub 2017 Jun 19.
Mitochondria are intracellular organelles involved in several processes from bioenergetics to cell death. In the latest years, ion channels are arising as new possible targets in controlling several cellular functions. The discovery that several plasma membrane located ion channels have intracellular counterparts, has now implemented this consideration and the number of studies enforcing the understanding of their role in different metabolic pathways. In this review, we will discuss the recent updates in the field, focusing our attention on the involvement of potassium channels during mitochondrial mediated apoptotic cell death. Since mitochondria are one of the key organelles involved in this process, it is not surprising that potassium channels located in their inner membrane could be involved in modulating mitochondrial membrane potential, ROS production, and respiratory chain complexes functions. Eventually, these events lead to changes in the mitochondrial fitness that prelude to the cytochrome c release and apoptosis. In this scenario, both the inhibition and the activation of mitochondrial potassium channels could cause cell death, and their targeting could be a novel pharmacological way to treat different human diseases.
线粒体是参与从生物能量学到细胞死亡等多种过程的细胞内细胞器。近年来，离子通道作为控制多种细胞功能的新的可能靶点而出现。现在已经意识到，几种位于质膜上的离子通道具有细胞内对应物，这就考虑到了这一点，并且越来越多的研究加强了对它们在不同代谢途径中作用的理解。在这篇综述中，我们将讨论该领域的最新进展，重点关注钾通道在线粒体介导的细胞凋亡中的作用。由于线粒体是参与该过程的关键细胞器之一，因此位于其内膜中的钾通道可能参与调节线粒体膜电位、ROS 产生和呼吸链复合物功能也就不足为奇了。最终，这些事件导致线粒体适应性发生变化，导致细胞色素 c 释放和凋亡。在这种情况下，线粒体钾通道的抑制和激活都可能导致细胞死亡，靶向这些通道可能是治疗不同人类疾病的一种新的药理学方法。
