Mitochondrial dynamics in yeast

Proteins that control mitochondrial dynamics in yeast are being identified at a rapid pace. These proteins include cytoskeletal elements that regulate organelle distribution and inheritance and several outer membrane proteins that are required to maintain the branched, mitochondrial reticulum. Inter estingly, three of the high molecular weight GTPases encoded by the yeast g enome are required for mitochondrial integrity and are potential regulators of mitochondrial branching, distribution, and membrane fusion. The recent finding that mtDNA mixing is restricted in the mitochondrial matrix has sti mulated the hunt for the molecular machinery that anchors mitochondrial nuc leoids in the organelle. Considering that many aspects of mitochondrial str ucture and behavior are strikingly similar in different cell types, the fun ctional analyses of these yeast proteins should provide general insights in to the mechanisms governing mitochondrial dynamics in all eukaryotes.