The reduced motility of mitochondria lacking Puf3p causes them to fragment (middle) or aggregate (right).

Cells with fewer mitochondria must be careful to dole the organelles out equally to their progeny. As Garcia-Rodriguez et al. show on page 197, Puf3p reduces mitochondrial numbers when demand for the organelles is low but also ensures that the few remaining mitochondria are well connected to the machinery that pushes them around during reproduction.

Researchers knew that Puf3p latches onto messenger RNAs that encode mitochondrial proteins, and then accelerates their breakdown. A related protein, Puf1p, helps sort mitochondria when a yeast cell buds to produce offspring. Puf1p links mitochondria to the Arp2/3 complex, which generates the force to propel the organelles into the new bud.

Garcia-Rodriguez et al. tested whether Puf3p does likewise. The team found that Puf3p fastens Arp2/3 to the mitochore, a complex of integral mitochondrial...

The Rockefeller University Press
2007
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
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