Mitochondrial fusion refers to the process where mitochondria, which are like small energy factories inside our cells, merge or blend together. This fusion allows mitochondria to share important components and repair any damaged parts. It is like combining two small machines to create a bigger and more efficient one.
Full definition
The heptad repeat domain 1 of Mitofusin has membrane destabilization function in mitochondrial fusion
This healthy mitochondrial «sex» is impaired in this disease because of mutations in a protein called mitofusin2, which
governs mitochondrial fusion.
We propose a fusion - compatibility model to explain these findings, with Amborella capturing whole mitochondria from diverse eukaryotes, followed
by mitochondrial fusion (limited mechanistically to green plant mitochondria) and then genome recombination.
This study shows that the amphipathic nature of the heptad repeat domain 1 (HR1) of Mitofusin perturbs the lipid bilayer structure to
drive mitochondrial fusion.
CMT2A, the most common axonal form of CMT, is caused by mutations in Mitofusin 2, a protein associated
with mitochondrial fusion.
Mitochondria undergo frequent changes in shape, size, number and location either through mitochondrial fission (which leads to multiple, smaller mitochondria) or
mitochondrial fusion (resulting in larger mitochondria).
Karbowski, Mariusz, et al. «Quantitation of mitochondrial dynamics by photolabeling of individual organelles shows that
mitochondrial fusion is blocked during the Bax activation phase of apoptosis.»