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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Understanding the Changes in Mitochondrial Morphology through Dynamic and Three-dimensional Fluorescence Micrographs
Published on: August 15, 2025
[Mitochondrial morphology and dynamics: actors, mechanisms and functions]
Cécile Sauvanet1, Laetitia Arnauné-Pelloquin, Claudine David
1Institut de biochimie et génétique cellulaires (IBGC), UMR 5095 CNRS/ Université Victor Segalen, 1, rue Camille Saint-Saëns, 33077 Bordeaux Cedex, France.
Abstract:
Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that continuously move, fuse and divide. Their overall morphology, ranging from a filamentous network to a collection of isolated dots, is determined by fusion-fission equilibrium, which depends on the cellular and physiological context. The machineries of fusion and fission, that are conserved throughout evolution, include three large GTPases of the dynamin-superfamily: Dnm1/DRP1 - involved in fission - as well as Fzo1/MFN and Mgm1/OPA1 - required for fusion. While the activities, mecanisms and regulations of mitochondrial fusion and fission machineries continue to be unravelled, the relevance of mitochondrial dynamics is witnessed by their impact on organelle functions, cell survival and cell differenciation, their requirement for embryonic development and their involvement in neurological diseases.
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