Cardiolipin at the heart of stress response across kingdoms

Cardiolipin is a key phospholipid most specifically found in the membrane of mitochondria in yeasts, plants, and animals. Cardiolipins are essential for the maintenance, the integrity, and the dynamics of mitochondria. In most eukaryotes mitochondria play a central role in the response and adaptation to stress conditions especially through their importance in the control of programmed cell death. To assess the impact of the absence of cardiolipin, knock-down of the expression of cardiolipin synthase, the last enzyme of cardiolipin synthesis pathway in eukaryotes has been performed in yeasts, animals, and plants. These studies showed that cardiolipin is not only important for mitochondrial ultrastructure and for the stability of respiratory complexes, but it is also a key player in the response to stress, the formation of reactive oxygen species, and the execution of programmed cell death.