title: Mitochondria: from cell death executioners to regulators of cell differentiation.
abstract: Most, if not all mitochondrial functions, including adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) production and regulation of apoptosis and Ca(2+) homeostasis, are inextricably linked to mitochondrial morphology and dynamics, a process controlled by a family of GTP-dependent dynamin related 'mitochondria-shaping' proteins. Mitochondrial fusion and fission directly influence mitochondrial metabolism, apoptotic and necrotic cell death, autophagy, muscular atrophy and cell migration. In this review, we discuss the recent evidence indicating that mitochondrial dynamics influence complex signaling pathways, affect gene expression and define cell differentiation. These findings extend the importance of mitochondria to developmental biology, far beyond their mere bioenergetic role.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Padua, 35121 Padua, Italy; Dulbecco-Telethon Institute, Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, 35129 Padua, Italy. Electronic address: luca.scorrano@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scorrano
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D001343:Autophagy / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D063154:Mitochondrial Dynamics; D051336:Mitochondrial Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins
keywords: Ca(2+); DRP1; MFN; Notch signaling; OPA1; cardiomyocyte; differentiation; hair follicle; heart; mitochondrial dynamics