May 2 2024Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo An article published in The Faseb Journal describes a Brazilian study analyzing the correlation between two key energy metabolism regulation processes: the absorption and release of calcium ions by mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for cells; and autophagy induced by calorie restriction. Autophagy occurs when cells break down and reuse their own cytoplasm.
"Our findings are important because of this link between processes. Both mitochondria and autophagy are involved in metabolism, so it makes sense that they're connected. Researchers in cellular biology tend to see things separately, but we should bear in mind that in cells one process depends on and regulates the other.
Calcium affects almost all aspects of cellular life. Calcium ions are well-known second messengers in metabolic signaling and play an important role in the regulation of autophagy. Related StoriesIn the study, as a starting point for their investigation of the link between mitochondrial calcium transport and autophagy, the researchers submitted mice to four months of calorie restriction and found their liver mitochondria to contain higher levels of NCLX than samples from mice fed an unrestricted diet. They then used cultured liver cells to create models that mimicked calorie restriction and again observed an increase in NCLX expression.