CYTOSKELETON AND MITOCHONDRIAL MORPHOLOGY AND FUNCTION

It has been well established that the cytoskeleton is an essential mod ulator of cell morphology and motility, intracytoplasmic transport and mitosis, however cytoskeletal linkage to the organelles has not been unequivocally demonstrated. Indeed, cytoskeleton appears to be essenti al in determining and modulating gene phenotype as a function of cellu lar environment. According to recent studies, the organization of the cytoskeleton network together with associated protein(s) could be esse ntial in regulating mitochondrial function and particularly the permea bility of the mitochondrial outer membrane to ADP. The aim of this cha pter is to summarize the main properties of the cytoskeletal environme nt of mitochondria and the possible role(s) of this network in mitocho ndrial function in myocytes.