Cellular mechanisms and functional consequences of mitochondrial morphology regulation

线粒体是细胞内的结构，为所有细胞功能提供能量。这些细胞器被称为“半自主”，因为它们有自己的DNA，它们融合、分裂，并在细胞内具有惊人的流动性。这些动态事件的意义是未知的。虽然目前的建议侧重于线粒体融合，但相关技术将用于扩展这些研究，以检查互惠事件，线粒体裂变。这项研究计划的长期目标是确定线粒体裂变和融合的机制，并阐明这些动态变化在哺乳动物细胞中的功能作用。

Mitochondria are structures inside cells which provide energy for all cellular functions. These organelles have been called "semi-autonomous" in that they have their own DNA, they fuse, divide and have surprising mobility within cells. The significance of these dynamic events is unknown. While the current proposal focuses on mitochondrial fusion, related techniques will be employed to extend these studies to examine the reciprocal event, mitochondrial fission. The long term goals of this research program are to identify the machinery of mitochondrial fission and fusion and to elucidate the functional roles of these dynamic changes in mammalian cells.