Mitochondrial ion transport and genetic mutations in Parkinson's Disease

• Grant number: 23/13575-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: June 01, 2024
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Metabolism and Bioenergetics
• Principal Investigator: Alicia Juliana Kowaltowski
• Grantee: Giovanna Chaves Cavalcante
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/06970-5 - Mitochondrial ion transporters as sensors and regulators in energy metabolism, AP.TEM

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world, characterized mainly by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons. In neurons, many reactions are regulated by calcium (Ca2+), so that an imbalance in calcium homeostasis leading to its accumulation may contribute to this loss. Mitochondrial calcium homeostasis is controlled by influx transporters, such as MCUc, and efflux transporters, such as NCLX. In this context, mitochondria stand out as crucial organelles for multiple processes, including energy metabolism and Ca2+ balance. Dysregulation in mitochondrial function associated with PD may be influenced by mutations in different genes, such as LRRK2 and PRKN. This project aims to investigate the expression and activity of the mitochondrial calcium transporters NCLX and MCUc in association with mutations in the LRRK2 and PRKN genes for Parkinson's disease, verifying if changes in mitochondrial Ca2+ transport participate in the pathogenesis of the disease. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE OLIVEIRA, RICARDO CUNHA; CAVALCANTE, GIOVANNA C.; SOARES-SOUZA, GIORDANO B.. Exploring Aerobic Energy Metabolism in Breast Cancer: A Mutational Profile of Glycolysis and Oxidative Phosphorylation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, v. 25, n. 23, p. 21-pg., 2024-12-01. (23/13575-3)