Fueling synapses.
The transmission of information across neuronal synapses is an energetically taxing business. Sheng and colleagues monitored the localization of mitochondria following different levels of synaptic activation and discovered that these organelles change their distribution in interesting ways, stalling near synapses when neurons are activated and increasing their movement when neurons are silent (Li et al., 2004 [this issue of Cell]).
Schuman
Erin
E
Division of Biology 114-96, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
Chan
David
D
D000818:Animals; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000378:metabolism*; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases; C498811:Opa1 protein, rat