Mitochondrial localization of NCXs: Balancing calcium and energy homeostasis

It is well established that mitochondria are the main source of ATP production within cells. However, mitochondria have other remarkable functions, serving as important modulators of cellular Ca2+ signaling, and it is now generally recognized that control over Ca2+ homeostasis is intrinsically interwoven with mitochondrial abilities to adjust and tune ATP production. In this review, we describe the mechanisms that mitochondria use to balance Ca2+ homeostasis maintenance and cell energy metabolism. In recent years, the knowledge on the molecular machinery mediating Ca2+ influx/efflux has been improved and, albeit still open to further investigations, several lines of evidence converge on the hypothesis that plasma membrane Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) isoforms are also expressed at the mitochondrial level, where they contribute to the Ca2+ and Na+ homeostasis maintenance. In particular, the connection between mitochondrial NCX activity and metabolic substrates utilization is further discussed here. We also briefly focus on the alterations of both mitochondrial Ca2+ handling and cellular bioenergetics in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.