Mitochondria at the Crossroad of Health and Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Mitochondria are the key organelles in the aerobic cell. They have multiple functions, which significantly impact cell life and death. Mitochondria are the main consumers of oxygen and producers of ATP, supporting energy-demanding processes in the cell. Mitochondrial oxidative metabolism unavoidably results in generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may significantly contribute to oxidative stress under pathological conditions. Mitochondria play a very important role in calcium signaling by taking up significant amounts of calcium during excessive calcium influx in the cell or substantial calcium release from endoplasmic reticulum.  The calcium overload of mitochondria may induce mitochondrial permeability transition pore that causes mitochondrial depolarization, leading to inhibition of ATP production in mitochondria, and mitochondrial swelling, resulting in the rupture of the mitochondrial outer membrane and release of cytochrome c and other apoptogenic proteins.  Mitochondrial health is maintained by selective elimination of damaged organelles in the process of mitophagy.  Mitochondrial dynamics, the ability to move along microtubules and undergo fragmentation (fission) and elongation (fusion), significantly contributes to mitochondrial quality control and elimination of damaged organelles. These processes are well-coordinated in healthy cells, but can go awry in different pathologies, in aging, and in age-related diseases. There is a great deal of information about mitochondrial biology, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding functioning of healthy mitochondria and the mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction in aging and age-related pathologies. Consequently, this Special Issue is devoted to new developments in mitochondrial biology and is aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction under various pathologies, in healthy aging and age-related diseases.  We invite authors to contribute original research papers as well as review articles. We encourage authors to share their exciting recent findings addressing new developments in mitochondrial biology and clarifying the mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction under various conditions.  

Prof. Dr. Nickolay Brustovetsky
Guest Editor

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