Mitochondrial phospholipids: role in mitochondrial function

Mitochondria are essential components of eukaryotic cells and are involved in a diverse set of cellular processes that include ATP production, cellular signalling, apoptosis and cell growth. These organelles are thought to have originated from a symbiotic relationship between prokaryotic cells in an effort to provide a bioenergetic jump and thus, the greater complexity observed in eukaryotes (Lane and Martin 2010 ). Mitochondrial processes are required not only for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, but also allow cell to cell and tissue to tissue communication (Nunnari and Suomalainen 2012 ). Mitochondrial phospholipids are important components of this system. Phospholipids make up the characteristic outer and inner membranes that give mitochondria their shape. In addition, these membranes house sterols, sphingolipids and a wide variety of proteins. It is the phospholipids that also give rise to other characteristic mitochondrial structures such as cristae (formed from the invaginations of the inner mitochondrial membrane), the matrix (area within cristae) and the intermembrane space (IMS) which separates the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) and inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM). Phospholipids are the building blocks that make up these structures. However, the phospholipid composition of the OMM and IMM is unique in each membrane. Mitochondria are able to synthesize some of the phospholipids it requires, but the majority of cellular lipid biosynthesis takes place in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in conjunction with the Golgi apparatus (Fagone and Jackowski 2009 ). In this review, we will focus on the role that mitochondrial phospholipids play in specific cellular functions and discuss their biosynthesis, metabolism and transport as well as the differences between the OMM and IMM phospholipid composition. Finally, we will focus on the human diseases that result from disturbances to mitochondrial phospholipids and the current research being performed to help us gain a better understanding of their function.