Progress of MAMs in cardiovascular diseases

As the sites of close contact between mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes(MAMs) enhance cargo and signal exchanges between the two organelles through the molecular composition. The roles of the MAMs in lipid biosynthesis and trafficking, calcium homeostasis, ROS production and autophagy have been gradually confirmed. It is reported that MAMs are important for the pathology of cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, heart ischemia reperfusion injury and atherosclerosis. In this review, we introduce the methods of MAMs isolation and observation as well as the role of MAMs in maintenance of cellular homeostasis, and then discuss the role of MAMs in some cardiovascular diseases.