Physiological functions of mitophagy

Mechanisms and Physiological Roles of Mitophagy in Yeast

Mitochondria are responsible for supplying of most of the cell's energy via oxidative phosphorylation. However, mitochondria also can be deleterious for a cell because they are the primary source of reactive oxygen species, which are generated as a byproduct of respiration. Accumulation of mitochondrial and cellular oxidative damage leads to diverse pathologies. Thus, it is important to maintai...

The Physiological Role of Mitophagy: New Insights into Phosphorylation Events

Mitochondria play an essential role in oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid oxidation, and the regulation of apoptosis. However, this organelle also produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) that continually inflict oxidative damage on mitochondrial DNA, proteins, and lipids, which causes further production of ROS. To oppose this oxidative stress, mitochondria possess quality control systems that...

Glutamine’s Physiological Functions

From the perspective of nutritional science, glutamine, like arginine, is not an essential amino acid. Nevertheless, glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. Glutamine plays major roles in accelerating muscle metabolism, in preserving muscle, in promoting wound healing and in cell proliferation. It also serves as the nutritional source for gastrointestinal cells and as the major e...

Genetic Evaluation of Physiological Functions

Linking physiological functions of iron.

Virtually all aerobic organisms synthesize heme, an iron protoporphyrin complex that functions as an oxygen transporter and electron carrier in multiple enzymes and mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes. Heme is synthesized by a highly conserved multistep process, beginning with the condensation of glycine and succinyl-CoA by ALA synthase (ALAS) to form 5-aminolevulinic acid, and continuing...