Mitochondria are dynamic structures that divide and fuse continually throughout the life of a cell. Mitochondrial division is needed to maintain a full complement of mitochondria when cells divide, but also when they differentiate, increase in size or respond to changes in their environment. Despite a huge body of literature on many aspects of mitochondrial function, very little is known about the mechanisms that control mitochondrial division. This issue contains four papers describing novel proteins that contribute to mitochondrial morphology. Before discussing those new proteins, a short introduction to what was already known about the mechanisms of mitochondrial division is in order.
Last year, it was discovered that a dynamin-related protein, called Dnm1 in yeast, and the homologous protein from C. elegans, called DRP-1, contribute to a late stage in the mitochondrial division process (Bleazard et...
