The mitochondrial carrier system (MCS) transports small molecules between mitochondria and the cytoplasm. It is integral to the core mitochondrial function to regulate cellular chemistry by metabolism. The mammalian MCS comprises the transporters of the 53-member canonical SLC25A family and a lesser number of identified noncanonical transporters. The recent discovery and investigations of the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) illustrate the diverse effects a single mitochondrial carrier may exert on cellular function. However, the transport selectivities of many carriers remain unknown, and most have not been functionally investigated in mammalian cells. The mechanisms coordinating their function as a unified system remain undefined. Increased accessibility to molecular genetic and metabolomic technologies now greatly enables investigation of the MCS. Continued investigation of the MCS may reveal how mitochondria encode complex regulatory information within chemical thermodynamic gradients. This understanding may enable precision modulation of cellular chemistry to counteract the dysmetabolism inherent in disease.

线粒体载体系统（MCS）在线粒体和细胞质之间运输小分子。它是线粒体核心功能不可或缺的部分，可通过新陈代谢调节细胞化学。哺乳动物MCS包含53个成员的经典SLC25A的转运蛋白家族和少数非正规转运蛋白。线粒体丙酮酸载体（MPC）的最新发现和研究表明，单个线粒体载体可能对细胞功能产生多种影响。然而，许多载体的转运选择性仍然未知，并且大多数尚未在哺乳动物细胞中进行功能研究。协调其作为一个统一系统的功能的机制仍未定义。现在，分子遗传和代谢组学技术越来越容易获得，这极大地促进了MCS的研究。继续研究MCS可能会揭示线粒体如何在化学热力学梯度内编码复杂的调控信息。这种理解可以实现细胞化学的精确调节，以抵消疾病固有的代谢异常。