Super-Resolution Imaging Technologies in the Study of Mitochondrial Proteins

permeabilization (MOMP), which in turn triggers a cascade of events that lead to the degradation of the cytoplasm and nucleus (Pagliarini & Rutter, 2013; Parsons & Green, 2010). This process has a key part in innate immunity, with cell deaths alerting the immune system of infections. In addition to controlling cell death, mitochondria’s role in calcium ion homeostasis and the synthesis of iron-sulfur proteins further supports the plethora of roles mitochondrial proteins play in various cell signalling pathways (Tait & Green, 2012). Although these functions were discovered long ago, their detailed mechanisms are still unknown. MitoCarta, the most extensive mitochondrial protein database, suggests that the mitochondrial proteome still largely remains unchartered (Pagliarini & Rutter, 2013). Approximately a quarter of the catalogued genes are not annotated in gene ontology, suggesting significant knowledge gaps in the characterization of mitochondrial proteins. Given the proteins’ diverse roles, it is unsurprising that mitochondrial protein dysfunction underpins a spectrum of metabolic disorders that are genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous (Nunnari & Suomalainen, 2012). Such disorders, ranging from inborn metabolic errors to the more common neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes, plague children and adults alike (Calvo & Mootha, 2010; Lin & Beal, 2006; Szendroedi et al., 2012). Accordingly, a more comprehensive understanding of both the dynamic structures of the proteins and their complex interplay with neighbouring proteins should be developed. This would achieve more timely and definite diagnoses when used with current genomic diagnostic approaches, Super-Resolution Imaging Technologies in the Study of Mitochondrial Proteins