Entity Detail — Knowledge Graph Node
This page aggregates everything SciDEX knows about MCU: its mechanistic relationships (Knowledge Graph edges), hypotheses targeting it, analyses mentioning it, and supporting scientific papers. The interactive graph below shows its immediate neighbors. All content is AI-synthesized from peer-reviewed literature.
MCU is a gene implicated in neurodegeneration research. Key relationships include: activates, regulates, implicated in. Associated with AD, ALI, ALS. Connected to 92 entities in the SciDEX knowledge graph.
| Gene Symbol | MCU |
| Protein Type | Ion Channel |
| Target Class | Ion Channel |
| Function | MCU encodes a 351 amino acid protein with two transmembrane domains that form a highly selective calcium channel in the inner mitochondrial membrane. |
| Mechanism of Action | MCU inhibitors block the mitochondrial calcium uniporter channel, reducing excessive calcium accumulation in mitochondria that leads to oxidative stress, energy depletion, and cell death. This mechanism may protect against ischemic injury, neurodegeneration, and heart failure by preserving mitochondrial function and preventing apoptosis in calcium-sensitive tissues. |
| Druggability | Low (0.41) |
| Clinical Stage | Phase III |
| Molecular Weight | 40 kDa |
| Amino Acids | 351 aa |
| Pathways | Mitochondrial Calcium Buffering Enhancement via MC |
| UniProt ID | S4R3F5 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000156026 |
| GeneCards | MCU |
| Human Protein Atlas | MCU |
| MCU | pore-forming subunit; oligomerizes into a tetramer or pentamer to create the calcium-conducting pore |
| Associated Diseases | AD, ALI, ALS, AMI, ARM, Aging |
| Known Drugs/Compounds | Ruthenium Red |
| Interactions | DES, PINK1, PERK, BCL2, PARKIN, DRP1 |
| SciDEX Target | View Target Profile (10 clinical trials) |
| SciDEX Hypotheses | Mitochondrial Calcium Buffering Enhancement via MC |
| KG Connections | 224 knowledge graph edges |
| Databases | GeneCardsNCBI GeneHPASTRING |
Knowledge base pages for this entity
graph TD
MCU["MCU"]
MCU -->|"regulates"| Mitochondrial_Calcium_Bufferin["Mitochondrial Calcium Buffering Enhancement via MC"]
MCU -->|"target for"| Cancer["Cancer"]
MCU -->|"target for"| Neurodegeneration["Neurodegeneration"]
MCU -->|"target for"| Stroke["Stroke"]
MCU -->|"target for"| Ms["Ms"]
MCU -->|"target for"| Heart_Failure["Heart Failure"]
MCU -->|"target for"| Diabetes["Diabetes"]
MCU -->|"activates"| Aging["Aging"]
MCU -->|"activates"| Als["Als"]
h_aa8b4952["h-aa8b4952"] -->|"target for"| MCU
LETM1["LETM1"] -->|"regulates"| MCU
OVERVIEW["OVERVIEW"] -->|"regulates"| MCU
DES["DES"] -->|"activates"| MCU
VDAC1["VDAC1"] -->|"activates"| MCU
MITOPHAGY["MITOPHAGY"] -->|"activates"| MCU
PARKIN["PARKIN"] -->|"activates"| MCU
APOPTOSIS["APOPTOSIS"] -->|"activates"| MCU
CANCER["CANCER"] -->|"inhibits"| MCU| Target | Relation | Type | Str |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitochondrial Calcium | regulates | compound | 0.95 |
| Mitochondrial Calcium Exchange | mediates | process | 0.95 |
| MITOCHONDRIAL CALCIUM | regulates | entity | 0.95 |
| CYTOSOLIC CALCIUM | regulates | entity | 0.95 |
| Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake | mediates | process | 0.95 |
| Calcium | binds | compound | 0.95 |
| Mitochondrial Calcium | transports | compound | 0.95 |
| Mitochondrial Calcium Transport | mediates | process | 0.95 |
| calcium | regulates | compound | 0.95 |
| MITOCHONDRIAL CALCIUM UPTAKE | mediates | entity | 0.95 |
| Mitochondria | component_of | organelle | 0.90 |
| Hepatic Fatty Acid Oxidation | upregulates | process | 0.90 |
| Intrahepatic Lipolysis | upregulates | process | 0.90 |
| cytosolic calcium | upregulates | compound | 0.90 |
| Isocitrate Dehydrogenase | regulates | enzyme | 0.85 |
| Α-Ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase | regulates | enzyme | 0.85 |
| Succinate Dehydrogenase | regulates | enzyme | 0.85 |
| Alpha-Ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase | regulates | enzyme | 0.85 |
| Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake | involved_in | process | 0.85 |
| isocitrate dehydrogenase | upregulates | protein | 0.85 |
| α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase | upregulates | protein | 0.85 |
| succinate dehydrogenase | upregulates | protein | 0.85 |
| mitochondrial calcium uptake | modulates | process | 0.85 |
| Cell Survival | regulates | process | 0.75 |
| Mitochondrial Calcium Buffering Enhancement via MC | regulates | mechanism | 0.70 |
| Apoptosis | activates | pathway | 0.70 |
| Cancer | therapeutic_target | disease | 0.65 |
| Neurodegeneration | therapeutic_target | disease | 0.65 |
| Stroke | therapeutic_target | disease | 0.65 |
| Ms | therapeutic_target | disease | 0.65 |
| Heart Failure | therapeutic_target | disease | 0.65 |
| Diabetes | therapeutic_target | disease | 0.65 |
| Aging | activates | disease | 0.65 |
| Ms | activates | disease | 0.65 |
| Als | activates | disease | 0.65 |
| Ms | regulates | disease | 0.65 |
| Als | regulates | disease | 0.65 |
| Cancer | associated_with | disease | 0.65 |
| Diabetes | associated_with | disease | 0.65 |
| Heart Failure | associated_with | disease | 0.65 |
| Neurodegeneration | associated_with | disease | 0.65 |
| Stroke | associated_with | disease | 0.65 |
| Ms | inhibits | disease | 0.65 |
| Cancer | inhibits | disease | 0.65 |
| Inflammation | associated_with | disease | 0.65 |
| Autoimmune | inhibits | disease | 0.65 |
| Heart Failure | regulates | disease | 0.65 |
| Diabetes | regulates | disease | 0.65 |
| Cancer | regulates | disease | 0.65 |
| Neurodegeneration | regulates | disease | 0.65 |
| Source | Relation | Type | Str |
|---|---|---|---|
| oleuropein | activates | chemical | 0.90 |
| h-aa8b4952 | targets_gene | hypothesis | 0.90 |
| MICU1 | interacts_with | protein | 0.85 |
| h-aa8b4952 | targets | hypothesis | 0.80 |
| VDAC1 | activates | gene | 0.70 |
| APOPTOSIS | activates | gene | 0.70 |
| LETM1 | regulates | gene | 0.60 |
| OVERVIEW | regulates | gene | 0.60 |
| DES | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| PARKIN | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| PINK1 | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| LETM1 | interacts_with | entity | 0.60 |
| SIRT1 | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| OPA1 | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| DRP1 | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| FUNDC1 | associated_with | gene | 0.60 |
| FUNDC1 | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| MITOPHAGY | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| INFLAMMATION | associated_with | gene | 0.60 |
| CANCER | inhibits | gene | 0.60 |
| APOPTOSIS | inhibits | gene | 0.60 |
| MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| NEURODEGENERATION | regulates | gene | 0.60 |
| AGING | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| RNA | inhibits | gene | 0.60 |
| STROKE | therapeutic_target | gene | 0.60 |
| CAMKII | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| AMPK | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| ATP | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| BRAIN INJURY | activates | gene | 0.60 |
| AND | inhibits | gene | 0.60 |
| AMPK | inhibits | gene | 0.60 |
| ATP | inhibits | gene | 0.60 |
| AMPK | regulates | gene | 0.60 |
| ATP | interacts_with | gene | 0.60 |
| ferroptosis | co_mentioned | pathway | 0.55 |
| GPX4 | co_mentioned | gene | 0.55 |
| APP | regulates | gene | 0.55 |
| LETM1 | co_expressed_with | gene | 0.50 |
| DAB1 | debate_co_mention | gene | 0.45 |
| HCN1 | debate_co_mention | gene | 0.45 |
| IDH2 | debate_co_mention | gene | 0.45 |
| MAP6 | debate_co_mention | gene | 0.45 |
| excitotoxicity | debate_co_mention | process | 0.45 |
| RELN | co_discussed | gene | 0.40 |
| MAP6 | co_discussed | gene | 0.40 |
| HCN1 | co_discussed | gene | 0.40 |
| PPARGC1A | co_discussed | gene | 0.40 |
| SLC16A2 | co_discussed | gene | 0.40 |
| nct07322003 | references | clinical_trial | 0.40 |
Hypotheses where this entity is a therapeutic target
| Hypothesis | Score | Disease | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitochondrial Calcium Buffering Enhancement via MCU Modulati | 0.376 | neurodegeneration | Selective vulnerability of entorhinal co |
Scientific analyses that reference this entity
neurodegeneration | 2026-04-01 | 7 hypotheses Top: 0.484
Scientific publications cited in analyses involving this entity
| Title & PMID | Authors | Journal | Year | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitochondrial calcium uptake declines during aging and is directly activated by [PMID:39603237] | Gherardi G, Weiser A, Bermont F, Migliav | Cell Metab | 2025 | 1 |
| Cytosolic calcium regulates hepatic mitochondrial oxidation, intrahepatic lipoly [PMID:39153480] | LaMoia TE, Hubbard BT, Guerra MT, Nasiri | Cell Metab | 2024 | 1 |
| Mitochondrial calcium exchange in physiology and disease. [PMID:34698550] | Garbincius JF, Elrod JW | Physiol Rev | 2022 | 1 |
| Ceritinib Induces Mitochondrial Fragmentation in Thyroid Cancer Cells by Targeti [PMID:41805100] | Qin D, Ding W, Wu X, Peng C, Bo Y et al. | Drug Dev Res | 2026 | 0 |
| Deficient Cardiolipin Remodelling Alters Muscle Fibre Composition and Neuromuscu [PMID:41841200] | Matias C, Snider PL, Sierra Potchanant E | J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle | 2026 | 0 |
| Zn(2+)-Dependent Modulation of the Mitochondrial Ca(2+) Uniporter Underlies Resv [PMID:41932596] | Xing B, Li X, Wang B, Huang L, Wang Q et | Exp Cell Res | 2026 | 0 |
| SERCA2 Dysfunction Drives Vascular Calcification via Coupling with TSPO-MCU at M [PMID:41932666] | Pi S, Liu W, Zhao J, Chen H, Luo X et al | Pharmacol Res | 2026 | 0 |
| Berberine is a Novel Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Inhibitor that Disrupts MCU [PMID:39921279] | Zhao H, Chen S, Cao N, Wu W, Liu G, Gao | Advanced science (Weinheim, Ba | 2025 | 0 |
| Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Links Acetyl-CoA Metabolism and H3K27 Acetylatio [PMID:40712058] | Liu G, Zhang H, Chen S, Gao J, Zhao H, D | Cancer research | 2025 | 0 |
| Assessment of the Spatial Distribution of Moisture Content in Granular Material [PMID:31234567] | ["Porzuczek J"] | Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) | 2024 | 0 |
| A vision-based real-time traffic flow monitoring system for road intersections. [PMID:36789012] | ["Azimjonov J", "\u00d6zmen A", "Varan M | Multimedia tools and applicati | 2023 | 0 |
| Mitochondrial calcium cycling in neuronal function and neurodegeneration. [PMID:36760367] | Walters GC, Usachev YM | Frontiers in cell and developm | 2023 | 0 |
| The Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter (MCU): Molecular Identity and Role in Human [PMID:37759703] | D'Angelo D, Rizzuto R | Biomolecules | 2023 | 0 |
| The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in University Athletes: Analysis of Its [PMID:36901234] | ["Mercader-Rubio I", "\u00c1ngel N"] | International journal of envir | 2023 | 0 |
| Synergistic Antitumoral Effect of Epigenetic Inhibitors and Gemcitabine in Pancr [PMID:35890123] | ["Maietta I", "Mart\u00ednez-P\u00e9rez | Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switze | 2022 | 0 |
| The Genetic Architecture of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Contribution of Liabi [PMID:34789012] | ["Mahjani B", "Klei L", "Mattheisen M", | The American journal of psychi | 2022 | 0 |
| Controlled synthesis of silver-based ternary quantum dots with outstanding lumin [PMID:35678901] | ["Mbaz G", "Parani S", "Oluwafemi O"] | Journal of fluorescence | 2022 | 0 |
| Multiple Primary Malignancies in Head and Neck Cancer: A University Hospital Exp [PMID:34567890] | ["Batista MV", "Ulrich J", "Costa L", "R | Cureus | 2021 | 0 |
| Early treatment with sumatriptan prevents PACAP38-induced migraine: A randomised [PMID:33567890] | ["Wienholtz N", "Christensen C", "Zhang | Cephalalgia : an international | 2021 | 0 |
| Severe vernal keratoconjunctivitis complicated by anaesthetic abuse. [PMID:32456789] | Anchouche S, Yin J | Canadian journal of ophthalmol | 2020 | 0 |