Mitochondria's role in natural antiviral immune response

Mitochondria are involved in innate immune responses through two distinct signaling pathways.

• Mitochondrial functions affect both energy metabolism and the process of programmed cell death.
• The innate immune response involves the activation of NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 inflammasomes and the retinoic acid-inducible gene I-like receptor pathway.
• Mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) protein and components derived from mitochondria are crucial for signal transduction in these immune pathways.
• Mitochondrial subcompartments play specific roles in regulating innate immune signaling events.
• Targeting mitochondrial functions could be a potential therapeutic strategy for managing infectious diseases and autoinflammatory disorders characterized by excessive immune responses.

Simplified