Expanding the mitochondrial interactome.docVIP

Minireview Expanding the mitochondrial interactome Timothy E Shutt and Gerald S Shadel Address: Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8023, USA. Correspondence: Gerald S Shadel. Email: gerald.shadel@ Published: 23 February 2007 Genome Biology 2007, 8:203 (doi:10.1186/gb-2007-8-2-203) The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at /2007/8/2/203 ? 2007 BioMed Central Ltd Abstract The integration of information on different aspects of the composition and function of mitochondria is defining a more comprehensive mitochondrial interactome and elucidating its role in a multitude of cellular processes and human disease. Mitochondria are complex, dynamic and essential organelles in eukaryotic cells. They are remarkable structures with well-known functions, such as the production of ATP via oxidative phosphorylation and a role in apoptosis. In addition, they are now being implicated in novel cellular functions (for example, oxygen sensing, signal transduction and anti-viral mechanisms). Mitochondrial dysfunction is also increasingly being shown to be relevant in disease, age- related and environmentally induced pathology and the aging process itself [1]. diseases. Furthermore, accumulation of mtDNA mutations and deletions occurs in many tissues over time and are thought to contribute to aging and age-related pathology [1]. After more than a century of intensive study, we know an enormous amount about mitochondrial structure, function and biogenesis. In the case of oxidative phosphorylation, for example, the mechanism is understood in great detail [4]. The ability of budding yeast to grow both aerobically and anaerobically (without the need for oxidative phosphory- lation) was instrumental in this success [5], along with a