Mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling

Mitochondrial Ca2+ regulation is crucial for bioenergetics and cellular signaling. The mechanisms controlling mitochondrial calcium homeostasis have been recently unraveled with the discovery of mitochondrial inner membrane proteins that regulate mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and extrusion. Mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake depends on a large complex of proteins centered around the Ca2+ channel protein, mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) in close interactions with several regulatory subunits (MCUb, EMRE, MICU1, MICU2). Mitochondrial Ca2+ extrusion is mainly mediated by the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+/Li+ exchanger (NCLX). Here, we review the major players of mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis and their physiological functions.