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Published on: April 7, 2018
The Multifaceted Pyruvate Metabolism: Role of the Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier
Joséphine Zangari1, Francesco Petrelli1, Benoît Maillot1
1Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, 30 Quai Ernest Ansermet, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Pyruvate, the end product of glycolysis, plays a major role in cell metabolism. Produced in the cytosol, it is oxidized in the mitochondria where it fuels the citric acid cycle and boosts oxidative phosphorylation. Its sole entry point into mitochondria is through the recently identified mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC). In this review, we report the latest findings on the physiology of the MPC and we discuss how a dysfunctional MPC can lead to diverse pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancer.
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