Fig. 1
From: Focusing on mitochondria in the brain: from biology to therapeutics
Mitochondrial biology maintains brain physiology. a Mitochondria are the power house and generate ATP through relevant processes of glucose, FA and amino acid metabolism. They tightly support normal brain functions dominated by neuronal activity including synaptic transmission, neuroelectrical activity, and ion exchange. b The mitochondrial ETC is the site of mitochondrial ROS generation. During oxidative metabolism, electrons combine prematurely with oxygen to form O2•−, which is dismutated to H2O2 by SOD2 and then converted to H2O by catalase and GPx. There are also mitochondria-targeted antioxidants essential for controlling ROS homeostasis in the brain, such as PDRX3, PDRX5 and TRX2. c The entire protein-coding capacity of mtDNA is devoted to the synthesis of mitochondrial complexes except complex II. Mutagenesis in mitochondrial genome occurs at a much higher rate than that in the nuclear genome, leading to the collapse of mitochondrial functions, which is closely related to neurological diseases. d Mitochondrial membrane dynamics including mitochondrial fission/fusion, membrane interactions with other organelles and ultra-structural membrane remodeling, renders the multifaceted involvement of mitochondria in cell biology. ATP, adenosine triphosphate; cyto c, cytochrome c; ER, endoplasmic reticulum; ETC, electron transport chain; FAs: fatty acids; GPx, glutathione peroxidases; GSH, glutathione; H2O2, hydrogen peroxide; lyso, lysosome; O2•−, superoxide; PDRX, peroxiredoxin; ROH, organic alcohol; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SOD2, manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase; TCA, tricarboxylic acid; TRX, thioredoxin