Role of phosphorylation of porin (VDAC) in regulation of mitochondrial outer membrane under normal conditions and alcohol intoxication

The present work is an overview of the factors regulating permeability of the outer membrane of mitochondria and the state of the channels formed by porin (voltage-dependent anion channels, VDAC). According to the accumulated data, modulation of the outer membrane permeability can be induced by endogenous phosphorylation of VDAC channels. Different protein kinases, such as protein kinase A, protein kinase C, tyrosine protein kinase, hexokinase, glycogen synthetase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), Akt and p38 kinases, were shown to be involved in VDAC phosphorylation. Among these protein kinases, alcohol-induced stress-kinases, GSK-3β, Akt, and p38 identified in mitochondria may participate in phosphorylation of porin, modulation of VDAC conductance, and regulation of the outer membrane permeability.