Mitochondria: Joining Forces to Thwart Cell Death

Arezu Jahani-Asl (1) , Marc Germain (1) , Ruth S. Slack (1)

1 Faculty of Medicine

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that undergo constant cycles of fusion and fission. An additional level of regulation of mitochondrial function, which is particularly important in neurons, is their active transport along microtubules. Recent evidence suggests that the mitochondrial fusion/fission machinery, as well as the molecular motors responsible for their movement, constitute powerful regulatory control points that directly impact metabolism and regulation of cell death. This is true for not only apoptosis, but also for excitotoxicity where calcium overload is a major component of the cell death process. In this review, we will describe the molecular mechanisms regulating fusion and fission and how this impinges on cell survival in the context of acute neuronal injury.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Arezu Jahani-Asl, Marc Germain, Ruth S. Slack. Mitochondria: Joining Forces to Thwart Cell Death. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Basis of Disease, 2009, 1802 (1), pp.162. ⟨10.1016/j.bbadis.2009.09.006⟩. ⟨hal-00562937⟩