Mitochondria: Biological Targets for Fighting Disease

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Physiology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 March 2023) | Viewed by 7836

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Interests: mitochondria; mitochondria isolation; oxidative phosphorylation; mitochondrial dis-eases;apoptosis; bioenergetics; mitochondrial dynamics; ATP; oxidative stress; mito-chondrial bioenergetics; mitochondrial dysfunction; mitochondrial biology; respiratory chain; heart mitochondria; mitochondrial function; liver mitochondria; muscle mito-chondria; mitochondrial disorders; mitochondrial proteins; energy metabolism; elec-tron transport chain; mitochondrial respiration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the battle against many pathological conditions, one of the fundamental objectives is the identification of specific molecular mechanisms that can be exploited by cellular targets of molecules with therapeutic action.

Mitochondria are an established emerging drug target. As the powerhouse of the cell, mitochondria are also the fulcrum of numerous catabolic, anabolic or signalling pathways, regulate calcium homeostasis, and are also indispensable in proliferation and cell death. Therefore, their dysfunction could be crucial for the development of many diseases.

Mitochondrial dysfunctions (MDs), mainly characterized by alterations in the impairment of oxidative phosphorylation can induce alteration of the central metabolism of carbon, the production of oxygen free radicals and the biosynthesis of intermediates for cell growth. Consistently, MDs might give rise to mitochondrial diseases, mainly induced by mutations in nuclear or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes. However, mitochondria participate in nearly all aspects of cellular function, influencing processes not traditionally related to the organelle, including signal transduction, cell transformation, cell fate, and cell death.

Cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative or muscle disorders, and cancer are some examples of conditions sustained or caused by MDs. Moreover, mitochondrial diseases can arise if MDs are an effect downstream of the disease process. Mitochondria, therefore, represent an important pharmacological target for these highly widespread diseases.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to identify specific molecular pathways involving mitochondria to be able to exploit them as promising targets for the treatment of a series of conventional and not conventional diseases, which can be exploited as specific targets of molecules with therapeutic action.

Dr. Salvatore Nesci
Dr. Cristina Algieri
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • mitochondria
  • mitochondria isolation
  • oxidative phosphorylation
  • mitochondrial diseases
  • apoptosis
  • bioenergetics
  • mitochondrial dynamics
  • ATP
  • oxidative stress
  • mitochondrial bioenergetics
  • mitochondrial dysfunction
  • mitochondrial biology
  • respiratory chain
  • heart mitochondria
  • mitochondrial function
  • liver mitochondria
  • muscle mitochondria
  • mitochondrial disorders
  • mitochondrial proteins
  • energy metabolism
  • electron transport chain
  • mitochondrial respiration

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 2674 KiB  
Article
Mitochondria Clumping vs. Mitochondria Fusion in CMT2A Diseases
by Antonietta Franco, Caroline E. Walton and Xiawei Dang
Life 2022, 12(12), 2110; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12122110 - 15 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1920
Abstract
Phenotypic variations in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A (CMT2A) result from the many mutations in the mitochondrial fusion protein, mitofusin 2 (MFN2). While the GTPase domain mutations of MFN2 lack the ability to hydrolyze GTP and complete mitochondrial fusion, the mechanism of dysfunction in [...] Read more.
Phenotypic variations in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A (CMT2A) result from the many mutations in the mitochondrial fusion protein, mitofusin 2 (MFN2). While the GTPase domain mutations of MFN2 lack the ability to hydrolyze GTP and complete mitochondrial fusion, the mechanism of dysfunction in HR1 domain mutations has yet to be explored. Using Mfn1/Mfn2 double null cells and Mfn2 knock out (KO) fibroblasts, we measured the ability of this variant protein to change conformations and hydrolyze GTP. We found that a mutation in the HR1 domain (M376A) of MFN2 results in conformational change dysfunction while maintaining GTPase ability. Prolonged exposure to mitofusin agonist MiM 111 reverses mitochondrial fusion dysfunction in the HR1 mutant through encouraging an open conformation, resulting in a potential therapeutic model in this variant. Herein, we describe a novel mechanism of dysfunction in MFN2 variants through exploring domain-specific mitochondrial characteristics leading to CMT2A. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mitochondria: Biological Targets for Fighting Disease)
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Review

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21 pages, 1149 KiB  
Review
Mitochondria in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis
by Allison B. Reiss, Shelly Gulkarov, Benna Jacob, Ankita Srivastava, Aaron Pinkhasov, Irving H. Gomolin, Mark M. Stecker, Thomas Wisniewski and Joshua De Leon
Life 2024, 14(2), 196; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14020196 - 30 Jan 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5262
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects persons aged 65 years and above. It causes dementia with memory loss and deterioration in thinking and language skills. AD is characterized by specific pathology resulting from the accumulation in [...] Read more.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects persons aged 65 years and above. It causes dementia with memory loss and deterioration in thinking and language skills. AD is characterized by specific pathology resulting from the accumulation in the brain of extracellular plaques of amyloid-β and intracellular tangles of phosphorylated tau. The importance of mitochondrial dysfunction in AD pathogenesis, while previously underrecognized, is now more and more appreciated. Mitochondria are an essential organelle involved in cellular bioenergetics and signaling pathways. Mitochondrial processes crucial for synaptic activity such as mitophagy, mitochondrial trafficking, mitochondrial fission, and mitochondrial fusion are dysregulated in the AD brain. Excess fission and fragmentation yield mitochondria with low energy production. Reduced glucose metabolism is also observed in the AD brain with a hypometabolic state, particularly in the temporo-parietal brain regions. This review addresses the multiple ways in which abnormal mitochondrial structure and function contribute to AD. Disruption of the electron transport chain and ATP production are particularly neurotoxic because brain cells have disproportionately high energy demands. In addition, oxidative stress, which is extremely damaging to nerve cells, rises dramatically with mitochondrial dyshomeostasis. Restoring mitochondrial health may be a viable approach to AD treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mitochondria: Biological Targets for Fighting Disease)
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