You are here: Home :: Area NEM :: Life sciences :: Biochemistry

Sandra Merz, Miriam Hammermeister, Katrin Altmann, Mark Drr, Benedikt Westermann

Molecular machinery of mitochondrial dynamics in yeast

Keywords: actin cytoskeleton, membrane division, membrane fusion, mitochondria, organelle biogenesis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mitochondria are amazingly dynamic organelles. They continuously move along cytoskeletal tracks and frequently fuse and divide. These processes are important for maintenance of mitochondrial functions, for inheritance of the organelles upon cell division, for cellular differentiation and for apoptosis. As the machinery of mitochondrial behaviour has been highly conserved during evolution, it can be studied in simple model organisms, such as yeast. During the past decade, several key components of mitochondrial dynamics have been identified and functionally characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These include the mitochondrial fusion and fission machineries and proteins required for maintenance of tubular shape and mitochondrial motility. Taken together, a comprehensive picture is emerging that shows the cellular processes and molecular components required for mitochondrial inheritance and morphogenesis in a simple eukaryotic cell.

Biological Chemistry, Walter de Gruyter

Print ISSN: 1431-6730
Volume: 2007
Pages: -

Show full article (external site)

Show all available items of this journal

 

Area NEM