Mitochondrial DNA in Inflammation and Immunity

Overview

Journal EMBO Rep

Specialty Molecular Biology

Date 2020 Mar 24

PMID 32202065

Citations 338

Authors

Joel S Riley

Stephen Wg Tait

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Mitochondria are cellular organelles that orchestrate a vast range of biological processes, from energy production and metabolism to cell death and inflammation. Despite this seemingly symbiotic relationship, mitochondria harbour within them a potent agonist of innate immunity: their own genome. Release of mitochondrial DNA into the cytoplasm and out into the extracellular milieu activates a plethora of different pattern recognition receptors and innate immune responses, including cGAS-STING, TLR9 and inflammasome formation leading to, among others, robust type I interferon responses. In this Review, we discuss how mtDNA can be released from the mitochondria, the various inflammatory pathways triggered by mtDNA release and its myriad biological consequences for health and disease.

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