mitNHE1 in mitochondrial dysfunction

CAROLINA JAQUENOD DE GIUSTI; RAYEN DE FAZIO; ERNESTO ALEJANDRO AIELLO

Berlin

Congreso; Congress of the International Society for Heart Research; 2022

The Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) is a ubiquitously expressed and widely studied ion transporter. NHE1 isoform is expressed in the heart and its overexpression and hyperactivity have been related to the development of several heart diseases. NHE1 expression in mitochondria was demonstrated a few years ago, however, its specific role is still unclear.Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder that affects millions of people globally, with an exponential increase. While membrane NHE1 hyperactivity has been involved in cytosolic Na+ overload in DM, the role of mitochondrial NHE1 (mitNHE1) has not been yet studied. In the mitochondria, mitNHE1 activity would allow mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCLX) function, extruding Na+ from the matrix. While reduced mitochondrial Ca2+ content has already been described in Type 1 DM by several authors due to increased cytosolic Na+ load and NCLX activity, we aim to understand mitNHE1 role in Type 2 DM.