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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Isolation and Functional Analysis of Mitochondria from Cultured Cells and Mouse Tissue
Published on: March 23, 2015
Distinct effects of tafazzin deletion in differentiated and undifferentiated mitochondria
Devrim Acehan1, Zaza Khuchua, Riekelt H Houtkooper
1Skirball Institute, New York University Langone, Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Abstract:
Tafazzin is a conserved mitochondrial protein that is required to maintain normal content and composition of cardiolipin. We used electron tomography to investigate the effect of tafazzin deletion on mitochondrial structure and found that cellular differentiation plays a crucial role in the manifestation of abnormalities. This conclusion was reached by comparing differentiated cardiomyocytes with embryonic stem cells from mouse and by comparing different tissues from Drosophila melanogaster. The data suggest that tafazzin deficiency affects cardiolipin in all mitochondria, but significant alterations of the ultrastructure, such as remodeling and aggregation of inner membranes, will only occur after specific differentiation.
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