REVIEWS  CARDIOVASCULAR METABOLISM 

Minerva Cardioangiologica 2010 April;58(2):231-9

Copyright © 2010 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Mitochondrial dynamics: molecular mechanisms and the role in the heart

Jazbutyte V. ✉

Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies, Department of Cardiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles which actively move along the cytoskeleton within the cell, change their shape and undergo fusion and fission. The heart is a metabolically active organ with high energy demands and rich in mitochondria. Mitochondria not only supply the heart with the high energy compound, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), but also actively participate in cell signaling and apoptotic events and communicate with the cytosol. Recent advantages in molecular biology and imaging techniques helped to study mitochondrial dynamics directly in the cell and under real time conditions. In this review, I will briefly summarize current knowledge about molecular machinery mediating mitochondrial fusion/ fission, its link to apoptosis and cardiovascular disease.