biomolecules
Review
Mitochondria-Endoplasmic Reticulum Crosstalk in Parkinson’s
Disease: The Role of Brain Renin Angiotensin
System Components
Tuladhar Sunanda
1,2
, Bipul Ray
1,2
, Arehally M. Mahalakshmi
1
, Abid Bhat
1,2
, Luay Rashan
3
,
Wiramon Rungratanawanich
4
, Byoung-Joon Song
4
, Musthafa Mohamed Essa
5,6
, Meena Kishore Sakharkar
7,
*
and Saravana Babu Chidambaram
1,2,
*
Citation: Sunanda, T.; Ray, B.;
Mahalakshmi, A.M.; Bhat, A.;
Rashan, L.; Rungratanawanich, W.;
Song, B.-J.; Essa, M.M.;
Sakharkar, M.K.; Chidambaram, S.B.
Mitochondria-Endoplasmic
Reticulum Crosstalk in Parkinson’s
Disease: The Role of Brain Renin
Angiotensin System Components.
Biomolecules 2021, 11, 1669. https://
doi.org/10.3390/biom11111669
Academic Editor: Damiana Leo
Received: 6 September 2021
Accepted: 4 November 2021
Published: 10 November 2021
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1
Department of Pharmacology, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research,
Mysuru 570015, Karnataka, India; tuladharsunanda4@gmail.com (T.S.); bray365@gmail.com (B.R.);
ammahalakshmi@jssuni.edu.in (A.M.M.); abidpharma8088@gmail.com (A.B.)
2
Centre for Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research,
Mysuru 570015, Karnataka, India
3
Biodiversity Research Centre, Dohfar University, Salalah 2059, Oman; lrashan@du.edu.om
4
Section of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics,
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
wiramon.rungratanawanich@nih.gov (W.R.); bj.song@nih.gov (B.-J.S.)
5
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, CAMS, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman;
Drmdessa@squ.edu.om
6
Ageing and Dementia Research Group, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman
7
College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A2, Canada
* Correspondence: meena.sakharkar@usask.ca (M.K.S.); saravanababu.c@jssuni.edu.in (S.B.C.)
Abstract: The past few decades have seen an increased emphasis on the involvement of the
mitochondrial-associated membrane (MAM) in various neurodegenerative diseases, particularly in
Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In PD, alterations in mitochondria, endo-
plasmic reticulum (ER), and MAM functions affect the secretion and metabolism of proteins, causing
an imbalance in calcium homeostasis and oxidative stress. These changes lead to alterations in the
translocation of the MAM components, such as IP3R, VDAC, and MFN1 and 2, and consequently
disrupt calcium homeostasis and cause misfolded proteins with impaired autophagy, distorted
mitochondrial dynamics, and cell death. Various reports indicate the detrimental involvement of
the brain renin–angiotensin system (RAS) in oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and apoptosis
in various neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we attempted to update the reports (using
various search engines, such as PubMed, SCOPUS, Elsevier, and Springer Nature) demonstrating
the pathogenic interactions between the various proteins present in mitochondria, ER, and MAM
with respect to Parkinson’s disease. We also made an attempt to speculate the possible involvement
of RAS and its components, i.e., AT1 and AT2 receptors, angiotensinogen, in this crosstalk and PD
pathology. The review also collates and provides updated information on the role of MAM in calcium
signaling, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and apoptosis in PD.
Keywords: ER stress; mitochondrial dysfunction; mitochondrial-associated membrane (MAM);
ER–mitochondria crosstalk; brain renin angiotensin system
1. Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) was first described in 1817 by Dr. James Parkinson, a
British physician, as “shaking palsy”. Global epidemiological data reveal that 1–2% of the
population belonging to the age group of 65 years and 4–5% at the age of 85 and above
are affected by PD, which indicates that ageing is one of the risk factors. Men are 1.5 times
more prone to PD than women [1].
Biomolecules 2021, 11, 1669. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11111669 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biomolecules