REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Molecular Innate Immunity
Cardiolipin's Multifaceted Role in Immune Response: A Focus on Interacting Proteins
Provisionally accepted
Zhuodong Chai
Yuqi Zhou
Sukria HossainKhanh HuynhSahelosadat Hajimirzaei
Yan ZhangJiaqian QiGuoying Zhang
Zhenyu Li
Yinan Wei*- Texas A and M University, College Station, United States
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Cardiolipin is a unique and essential phospholipid that plays a pivotal role in cellular function. In eukaryotic cells, it is predominantly localized within the mitochondrial membranes, with the highest concentration in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM). Recent studies have highlighted the multifaceted role of cardiolipin in immune regulation. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of specific proteins that directly interact with cardiolipin and to elucidate how these interactions underlie its diverse and critical functions in innate immunity. In addition, we discuss the involvement of cardiolipin in various pathological conditions in which its protein interactions contribute to immune dysregulation.
Keywords: Inflammasome, cardiolipin, protein-lipid interaction, innate immunity, pyroptosis
Received: 05 Aug 2025; Accepted: 20 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chai, Zhou, Hossain, Huynh, Hajimirzaei, Zhang, Qi, Zhang, Li and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yinan Wei, yinan.wei@tamu.edu
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