The UPR Protects from Mitochondrial Dysfunction by Upregulating Specific Enzymes of the Mevalonate Pathway.

The mevalonate pathway is the primary target of the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins, some of the most widely prescribed medicines of all time. The pathway's enzymes not only catalyze the synthesis of cholesterol but also of diverse metabolites such as mitochondrial electron carriers and isoprenyls. Recently, it has been shown that one type of mitochondrial stress response, the UPR, can protect yeast, , and cultured human cells from the deleterious effects of mevalonate pathway inhibition by statins.