Cited by 88Mitochondrial Function and PathologyGenetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model OrganismsCalcium signaling and nucleotide metabolism

Reduced mitochondrial calcium uptake in macrophages is a major driver of inflammaging

Open access
Seegren, Philip V., Harper, Logan R., Downs, Taylor K., Zhao, Xiao-Yu, Viswanathan, Shivapriya B., Stremska, Marta E., Olson, Rachel J., Kennedy, Joel +3 more·2023·Nature Aging

Abstract

Mitochondrial dysfunction is linked to age-associated inflammation or inflammaging, but underlying mechanisms are not understood. Analyses of 700 human blood transcriptomes revealed clear signs of age-associated low-grade inflammation. Among changes in mitochondrial components, we found that the expression of mitochondrial calcium uniporter ( MCU ) and its regulatory subunit MICU1 , genes central to mitochondrial Ca 2+ (mCa 2+ ) signaling, correlated inversely with age. Indeed, mCa 2+ uptake capacity of mouse macrophages decreased significantly with age. We show that in both human and mouse macrophages, reduced mCa 2+ uptake amplifies cytosolic Ca 2+ oscillations and potentiates downstream nuclear factor kappa B activation, which is central to inflammation. Our findings pinpoint the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex as a keystone molecular apparatus that links age-related changes in mitochondrial physiology to systemic macrophage-mediated age-associated inflammation. The findings raise the exciting possibility that restoring mCa 2+ uptake capacity in tissue-resident macrophages may decrease inflammaging of specific organs and alleviate age-associated conditions such as neurodegenerative and cardiometabolic diseases.

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  • Mitochondria maintain intracellular calcium ion homeostasis through absorption and release of calcium ions.

    “Mitochondria, as critical regulators of intracellular Ca2+ concentration, maintain Ca2+ homeostasis through the absorption and release of Ca2+.”

    From Matrix mechanical remodeled carrier-free nanosystem for programmable closed-loop reversal of liver fibrosis via STING alkylation (2025) · cites this paper as [18]

    The Main section says mitochondria rapidly take up Ca2+ when cytosolic Ca2+ rises, supporting their role in regulating intracellular calcium. The Results section (‘Reduced mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in macrophages derived from old mice’; page unavailable) says that adding FCCP can reverse uptake, but the paper does not describe normal mitochondrial Ca2+ release as a mechanism for maintaining homeostasis. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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2 retracted

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  1. [71]Sliter DA Parkin and PINK1 mitigate STING-induced inflammation Nature 2018 561 258 262 30135585 PMC7362342

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Authors
Seegren, P. V., Harper, L. R., Downs, T. K., Zhao, X.-Y., Viswanathan, S. B., Stremska, M. E., Olson, R. J., Kennedy, J., Ewald, S. E., Kumar, P., & Desai, B. N.
Affiliations
University of Virginia (US)
Corresponding author
Desai, Bimal N.
Venue
Nature Aging
Published
2023-06-05
Volume
3
Issue
7
Pages
796-812
ISSN
2662-8465 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4379472145
Cited by
88
References
89
Citations by year
2026: 31 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 6
FWCI
7.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Aging (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01 AI155808)
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01 GM108989, T32 GM007055, GM138381)
  • Owens Family Foundation
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Cancer Institute (P30 CA044579)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Aging › Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Physiology › Calcium signaling and nucleotide metabolism
Keywords
inflammaging, mitochondrial calcium uptake, mitochondrial calcium uniporter, MICU1, macrophages, mitochondrial dysfunction, aging, cytosolic calcium oscillations, NF-κB activation, age-associated inflammation, transcriptome
MeSH terms
Animals, Calcium, Calcium-Binding Proteins, Humans, Inflammation, Macrophages, Mitochondria, Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins, Mice

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