Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2001 Oct;1(4):515-25.
doi: 10.1016/s1534-5807(01)00055-7.

The role of dynamin-related protein 1, a mediator of mitochondrial fission, in apoptosis

S Frank  1 , B Gaume, E S Bergmann-Leitner, W W Leitner, E G Robert, F Catez, C L Smith, R J Youle
Affiliations
Free article

The role of dynamin-related protein 1, a mediator of mitochondrial fission, in apoptosis

S Frank et al. Dev Cell. 2001 Oct.
Free article

Abstract

In healthy cells, fusion and fission events participate in regulating mitochondrial morphology. Disintegration of the mitochondrial reticulum into multiple punctiform organelles during apoptosis led us to examine the role of Drp1, a dynamin-related protein that mediates outer mitochondrial membrane fission. Upon induction of apoptosis, Drp1 translocates from the cytosol to mitochondria, where it preferentially localizes to potential sites of organelle division. Inhibition of Drp1 by overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant counteracts the conversion to a punctiform mitochondrial phenotype, prevents the loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c, and reveals a reproducible swelling of the organelles. Remarkably, inhibition of Drp1 blocks cell death, implicating mitochondrial fission as an important step in apoptosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms