Translocator protein (TSPO, 18 kDa), formerly known as peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, is an evolutionary well-conserved protein located on the outer mitochondrial membrane. TSPO is involved in a variety of fundamental physiological functions and cellular processes. Its expression levels are regulated under many pathological conditions, therefore, TSPO has been proposed as a tool for diagnostic imaging and an attractive therapeutic drug target in the nervous system. Several synthetic TSPO ligands have thus been explored as agonists and antagonists for innovative treatments as neuroprotective and regenerative agents. In this review, we provide state-of-the-art knowledge of TSPO functions in the brain and peripheral nervous system. Particular emphasis is placed on its contribution to important physiological functions such as mitochondrial homeostasis, energy metabolism and steroidogenesis. We also report how it is involved in neuroinflammation, brain injury and diseases of the nervous system.
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
On the cover, the 2.8 Å cryo-EM structure of the cytochrome b6f complex from the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 with the peripheral PetP subunit (purple). PetP binds to the cytoplasmic face of the complex and is proposed to play a regulatory role balancing linear and cyclic photosynthetic electron transport, possibly by occluding the interaction of the ferredoxin-FNR complex. Read more from Hitchcock and colleagues on pages 1487 – 1503.
The mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO): a key multifunctional molecule in the nervous system
Léa El Chemali, Yvette Akwa, Liliane Massaad-Massade; The mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO): a key multifunctional molecule in the nervous system. Biochem J 15 July 2022; 479 (13): 1455–1466. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20220050
Download citation file:
Sign in
Sign in to your personal account
Captcha Validation Error. Please try again.