The translocator protein (TSPO) in mitochondrial bioenergetics and immune processes
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Date
2020-02-24
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Abstract
The translocator protein (TSPO) is an outer mitochondrial membrane protein that is widely used as a biomarker of neuroinflammation, being markedly upregulated in activated microglia in a range of brain pathologies. Despite its extensive use as a target in molecular imaging studies, the exact cellular functions of this protein remain in question. The long-held view that TSPO plays a fundamental role in the translocation of cholesterol through the mitochondrial membranes, and thus, steroidogenesis, has been disputed by several groups with the advent of TSPO knockout mouse models. Instead, much evidence is emerging that TSPO plays a fundamental role in cellular bioenergetics and associated mitochondrial functions, also part of a greater role in the innate immune processes of microglia. In this review, we examine the more direct experimental literature surrounding the immunomodulatory effects of TSPO. We also review studies which highlight a more central role for TSPO in mitochondrial processes, from energy metabolism, to the propagation of inflammatory responses through reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulation. In this way, we highlight a paradigm shift in approaches to TSPO functioning. © 2020 The Authors
Description
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
Keywords
Proteins, Mitochondria, Inflammation, Brain, Cell membranes, Cholesterol
Citation
Betlazar, C., Middleton, R. J., Banati, R., & Liu, G.-J. (2020). The translocator protein (TSPO) in mitochondrial bioenergetics and immune processes. Cells, 9(2), 512. doi:10.3390/cells9020512