title: Abnormalities of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Neurodegenerative Diseases.
abstract: Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable and devastating neurological disorders characterized by the progressive loss of the structure and function of neurons in the central nervous system or peripheral nervous system. Mitochondria, organelles found in most eukaryotic cells, are essential for neuronal survival and are involved in a number of neuronal functions. Mitochondrial dysfunction has long been demonstrated as a common prominent early pathological feature of a variety of common neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington's disease (HD). Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that undergo continuous fusion, fission, and transport, the processes of which not only control mitochondrial morphology and number but also regulate mitochondrial function and location. The importance of mitochondrial dynamics in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases has been increasingly unraveled after the identiﬁcation of several key fusion and fission regulators such as Drp1, OPA1, and mitofusins. In this review, after a brief discussion of molecular mechanisms regulating mitochondrial fusion, fission, distribution, and trafficking, as well as the important role of mitochondrial dynamics for neuronal function, we review previous and the most recent studies about mitochondrial dynamic abnormalities observed in various major neurodegenerative diseases and discuss the possibility of targeting mitochondrial dynamics as a likely novel therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. jxg712@case.edu.
authors.forename: Ju
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. lxw404@case.edu.
authors.forename: Luwen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. jxl1599@case.edu.
authors.forename: Jingyi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. fxx53@case.edu.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China. bxs103@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. xinglong.wang@case.edu.
authors.forename: Xinglong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Huntington’s disease; Parkinson’s disease; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; mitochondrial dynamics; mitochondrial dysfunction; mitochondrial fusion and fission; mitochondrial trafficking; neurodegeneration; neurodegenerative diseases