Structural changes of mitochondria related to apoptosis

The original concept of apoptosis stressed the morphological changes of the nucleus, condensation with the aggregation of chromatin, and the intactness of intracellular organelles including mitochondria. However, the application of molecular biology and flow-cytometric techniques to the research field of apoptosis has led to the proposal of the apoptotic processes which emphasizes the 'swelling of mitochondria' due to the opening of the 'permeability transition pores' of the mitochondrial membranes followed by a series of events including the collapse of the transmembrane potential of mitochondria and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol. Enlargement of mitochondria induced by various pathological conditions are classified into two categories: the swelling and the formation of megamitochondria (MG). Recently, we have found that free radical-induced formation of MG is succeeded by apoptotic changes of the cell. If the MG formation is actually related to apoptosis, this will be a new aspect of the structural changes of mitochondria involved in apoptosis besides the simple swelling of mitochondria. First, we will discuss the 'swelling of mitochondria' which characterizes the currently accepted hypothesis on the apoptotic processes of the cell, as described above, in the light of the literature. Second, the mechanisms controlling the size and distribution of mitochondria in the cell are dealt with paying special attention to the genetic regulation and cytoskeletons. Third, we have tried to characterize the MG formation to correlate apoptotic changes of the cell. Finally, we will discuss several problems to be solved in the future which involve mitochondria in apoptotic processes of the cell.