The role of VDAC in cell death: friend or foe?

Mitochondrial permeability transition pore as a selective target for anti-cancer therapy

Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) is the ultimate step in dozens of lethal apoptotic signal transduction pathways which converge on mitochondria. One of the representative systems proposed to be responsible for the MOMP is the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP). Although the molecular composition of the MPTP is not clearly understood, the MPTP attracts much interest as a promising target for resolving two conundrums regarding cancer treatment: tumor selectivity and resistance to treatment. The regulation of the MPTP is closely related to metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells including mitochondrial alterations. Restoration of deregulated apoptotic machinery in cancer cells by tumor-specific modulation of the MPTP could therefore be a promising anti-cancer strategy. Currently, a number of MPTP-targeting agents are under pre-clinical and clinical studies. Here, we reviewed the structure and regulation of the MPTP as well as the current status of the development of promising MPTP-targeting drugs.

Non-apoptotic roles of Bcl-2 family: the calcium connection

The existence of the bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma-2) gene was reported nearly 30 years ago. Yet, Bcl-2 family group of proteins still surprises us with their structural and functional diversity. Since the discovery of the Bcl-2 family of proteins as one of the main apoptosis judges, the precise mechanism of their action remains a hot topic of intensive scientific research and debates. Although extensive work has been performed on the role of mitochondria in apoptosis, more and more studies point out an implication of the endoplasmic reticulum in this process. Interestingly, Bcl-2 family proteins could be localized to both the mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum highlighting their crucial role in apoptosis control. In particular, in these organelles Bcl-2 proteins seem to be involved in calcium homeostasis regulation although the mechanisms underlying this function are still misunderstood. We now assume with high degree of certainty that the majority of Bcl-2 family members take part not only in apoptosis regulation but also in other processes important for the cell physiology briefly denominated as "non-apoptotic" functions. Drawing a complete and comprehensive image of Bcl-2 family requires the understanding of their implications in all cellular processes. Here, we review the current knowledge on the control of calcium homeostasis by the Bcl-2 family at the endoplasmic reticulum and at the mitochondria. Then we focus on the non-apoptotic functions of the Bcl-2 proteins in relation with the regulation of this versatile intracellular messenger. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: 12th European Symposium on Calcium.

Molecular origin of VDAC selectivity towards inorganic ions: a combined molecular and Brownian dynamics study

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) serves as the major pore for metabolites and electrolytes in the outer mitochondrial membrane. To refine our understanding of ion permeation through this channel we performed an extensive Brownian (BD) and molecular dynamics (MD) study on the mouse VDAC isoform 1 wild-type and mutants (K20E, D30K, K61E, E158K and K252E). The selectivity and the conductance of the wild-type and of the variant channels computed from the BD trajectories are in agreement with experimental data. The calculated selectivity is shown to be very sensitive to slight conformational changes which may have some bearing on the variability of the selectivity values measured on the VDAC open state. The MD and BD free energy profiles of the ion permeation suggest that the pore region comprising the N-terminal helix and the barrel band encircling it predominantly controls the ion transport across the channel. The overall 12μs BD and 0.9μs MD trajectories of the mouse VDAC isoform 1 wild-type and mutants feature no distinct pathways for ion diffusion and no long-lived ion-protein interactions. The dependence of ion distribution in the wild-type channel with the salt concentration can be explained by an ionic screening of the permanent charges of the protein arising from the pore. Altogether these results bolster the role of electrostatic features of the pore as the main determinant of VDAC selectivity towards inorganic anions.