Research Advances in Endoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondria Interactions in Disease

Abstract

Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membranes (MAMs) are important structural and functional coupling platforms between endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. They are mainly composed of two adjacent membrane regions of organelles and are rich in a variety of resident proteins. They play a key role in calcium homeostasis, lipid transport and metabolism, energy metabolism regulation and cellular stress response. In recent years, a number of studies have shown that the structural and functional abnormalities of MAMs can participate in the occurrence and development of various diseases by disrupting calcium signal transduction, inducing oxidative stress, affecting mitophagy and lipid metabolism reprogramming. This article systematically reviews the structural composition, physiological functions, and mechanism of action of MAMs in diseases, focusing on the regulatory effects of key resident proteins and potential therapeutic targets, and discusses the current research bottlenecks and future development directions, in order to provide a reference for the mechanism research and targeted intervention of related diseases.