It is increasingly acknowledged that a sex and gender specificity affects the occurrence, development, and consequence of a plethora of pathologies. Mitochondria are considered as the powerhouse of the cell because they produce the majority of energy-rich phosphate bonds in the form of adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) but they also participate in many other functions like steroid hormone synthesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, ionic regulation, and cell death. Adequate cellular energy supply and survival depend on mitochondrial life cycle, a process involving mitochondrial biogenesis, dynamics, and quality control via mitophagy. It appears that mitochondria are the place of marked sexual dimorphism involving mainly oxidative capacities, calcium handling, and resistance to oxidative stress. In turn, sex hormones regulate mitochondrial function and biogenesis. Mutations in genes encoding mitochondrial proteins are the origin of serious mitochondrial genetic diseases. Mitochondrial dysfunction is also an important parameter for a large panel of pathologies including neuromuscular disorders, encephalopathies, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), metabolic disorders, neuropathies, renal dysfunction etc. Many of these pathologies present sex/gender specificity. Here we review the sexual dimorphism of mitochondria from different tissues and how this dimorphism takes part in the sex specificity of important pathologies mainly CVDs and neurological disorders.
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May 2017
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Image demonstrates the ultrastructural cortical basement membrane changes in SHRSP brain: accumulation of lipofuscin in pericytes. For further details, see article by Screiber et al in this issue (pages 1001–1013). Image kindly provided by Stefanie Schreiber.
Review Article|
April 19 2017
Mitochondria: a central target for sex differences in pathologies
Renée Ventura-Clapier;
1Cardiovascular Signaling and Pathophysiology, UMR-S 1180 Inserm, Université Paris-Sud, Châtenay-Malabry, France
Correspondence: Renée Ventura-Clapier ([email protected])
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Maryline Moulin;
Maryline Moulin
1Cardiovascular Signaling and Pathophysiology, UMR-S 1180 Inserm, Université Paris-Sud, Châtenay-Malabry, France
2Pathophysiology of Striated Muscles Laboratory, Unit of Functional and Adaptive Biology (BFA), Université Paris Diderot, UMR CNRS 8251, Paris, France
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Jérôme Piquereau;
Jérôme Piquereau
1Cardiovascular Signaling and Pathophysiology, UMR-S 1180 Inserm, Université Paris-Sud, Châtenay-Malabry, France
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Christophe Lemaire;
Christophe Lemaire
1Cardiovascular Signaling and Pathophysiology, UMR-S 1180 Inserm, Université Paris-Sud, Châtenay-Malabry, France
3Université Versailles St-Quentin, Inserm UMR-S 1180, Université Paris-Sud, Chatenay-Malabry, France
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Mathias Mericskay;
Mathias Mericskay
1Cardiovascular Signaling and Pathophysiology, UMR-S 1180 Inserm, Université Paris-Sud, Châtenay-Malabry, France
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Vladimir Veksler;
Vladimir Veksler
1Cardiovascular Signaling and Pathophysiology, UMR-S 1180 Inserm, Université Paris-Sud, Châtenay-Malabry, France
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Anne Garnier
Anne Garnier
1Cardiovascular Signaling and Pathophysiology, UMR-S 1180 Inserm, Université Paris-Sud, Châtenay-Malabry, France
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 18 2016
Revision Received:
January 14 2017
Accepted:
January 23 2017
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
© 2017 The Author(s). published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society
2017
Clin Sci (Lond) (2017) 131 (9): 803–822.
Article history
Received:
November 18 2016
Revision Received:
January 14 2017
Accepted:
January 23 2017
Connected Content
A commentary has been published:
Muscling in on mitochondrial sexual dimorphism; role of mitochondrial dimorphism in skeletal muscle health and disease
Citation
Renée Ventura-Clapier, Maryline Moulin, Jérôme Piquereau, Christophe Lemaire, Mathias Mericskay, Vladimir Veksler, Anne Garnier; Mitochondria: a central target for sex differences in pathologies. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 May 2017; 131 (9): 803–822. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20160485
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