Zick Michael, Rabl Regina, Reichert Andreas S
Adolf-Butenandt-Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5, 81377 München, Germany.
Biochim Biophys Acta. 2009 Jan;1793(1):5-19. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2008.06.013. Epub 2008 Jun 20.
Mitochondria are double-membrane enclosed eukaryotic organelles with a central role in numerous cellular functions. The ultrastructure of mitochondria varies considerably between tissues, organisms, and the physiological state of cells. Alterations and remodeling of inner membrane structures are evident in numerous human disorders and during apoptosis. The inner membrane is composed of two subcompartments, the cristae membrane and the inner boundary membrane. Recent advances in electron tomography led to the current view that these membrane domains are connected by rather small tubular structures, termed crista junctions. They have been proposed to regulate the dynamic distribution of proteins and lipids as well as of soluble metabolites between individual mitochondrial subcompartments. One example is the release of cytochrome c upon induction of apoptosis. However, only little is known on the molecular mechanisms mediating the formation and maintenance of cristae and crista junctions. Here we review the current knowledge of the factors that determine cristae morphology and how the latter is linked to mitochondrial function. Further, we formulate several theoretical models which could account for the de novo formation of cristae as well as their propagation from existing cristae.
线粒体是具有双层膜结构的真核细胞器，在众多细胞功能中发挥核心作用。线粒体的超微结构在不同组织、生物体以及细胞的生理状态之间存在很大差异。内膜结构的改变和重塑在许多人类疾病以及细胞凋亡过程中都很明显。内膜由两个亚区室组成，即嵴膜和内边界膜。电子断层扫描技术的最新进展使人们形成了当前的观点，即这些膜结构域通过相当小的管状结构相连，这些管状结构被称为嵴连接。有人提出它们可调节蛋白质、脂质以及可溶性代谢物在各个线粒体亚区室之间的动态分布。一个例子是细胞凋亡诱导时细胞色素c的释放。然而，关于介导嵴和嵴连接形成与维持的分子机制，我们所知甚少。在此，我们综述了目前关于决定嵴形态的因素以及嵴形态如何与线粒体功能相关联的知识。此外，我们提出了几个理论模型，这些模型可以解释嵴的从头形成以及它们从现有嵴的延伸。
