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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Author Spotlight: Fluorescence-Based Quantification of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Superoxide Levels Using Live Imaging in HeLa Cells
Published on: May 12, 2023
Biochemical properties of the kinase PINK1 as sensor protein for mitochondrial damage signalling
Cornelia Rüb1, Nadja Schröder1, Wolfgang Voos1
1*Institut für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (IBMB), Universität Bonn, Nussallee 11, D-53115 Bonn, Germany.
Abstract:
Defects of mitochondrial functions have been implicated in many different human diseases, in particular neurodegenerative diseases. The kinase PINK1 [phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN)-induced kinase 1] has been identified as a crucial player in a specific damage signalling pathway, eliminating defective mitochondria by an autophagic process. Mutations in PINK1 have been shown to cause familial cases of Parkinson's disease. In this review, we summarize the biochemical mechanisms that underlie the association of PINK1 with mitochondria under normal and pathological conditions. This unconventional mitochondrial localization pathway is discussed in the context of the role of PINK1 as a sensor of mitochondrial damage and a causative factor in Parkinson's disease.
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