Journal
BIO-ALGORITHMS AND MED-SYSTEMS
Volume 17, Issue 2, Pages 65-78Publisher
WALTER DE GRUYTER GMBH
DOI: 10.1515/bams-2021-0018
Keywords
membrane proteins; mitochondrial carrier family; molecular dynamics; protein structure modelling; solute carrier family 25
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Funding
- Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) [232/2016]
- PRIN [2017483NH8]
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The members of the mitochondrial carrier family, also known as SLC25, play a crucial role in regulating the transport of small molecules within mitochondria. Experimental studies on these transporters can be challenging, leading to the use of computational methods to develop hypotheses or explain experimental evidence. Computational analyses have provided insights into the structure-function relationships of these proteins and suggest potential applications of advanced computational methods in the future.
The members of the mitochondrial carrier family, also known as solute carrier family 25 (SLC25), are transmembrane proteins involved in the translocation of a plethora of small molecules between the mitochondrial intermembrane space and the matrix. These transporters are characterized by three homologous domains structure and a transport mechanism that involves the transition between different conformations. Mutations in regions critical for these transporters' function often cause several diseases, given the crucial role of these proteins in the mitochondrial homeostasis. Experimental studies can be problematic in the case of membrane proteins, in particular concerning the characterization of the structure-function relationships. For this reason, computational methods are often applied in order to develop new hypotheses or to support/explain experimental evidence. Here the computational analyses carried out on the SLC25 members are reviewed, describing the main techniques used and the outcome in terms of improved knowledge of the transport mechanism. Potential future applications on this protein family of more recent and advanced in silico methods are also suggested.
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