Importance of Mitochondrial Morphology in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, The
Hoyer, Melissa
Hoyer, Melissa
Abstract
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In Saccharomyces cerevisiae the Mmm1 and Fzo1 proteins play key roles in retaining mitochondrial DNA. In order to see the Mmm1 and Fzo1 proteins' effects on mitochondrial morphology, the TOM-70 GFP fusion was transformed into various strains and mitochondria were examined using fluorescence microscopy. In the mmm1 deletion strain, the mitochondria lost the extended network usually seen in wild type cells. In the mmm1 deletion and fzo1 point mutant strain, the mitochondrial morphology lost the extended wild type network, but the difference was less dramatic. In the fzo1 point mutant control, the mitochondrial network was similar to wild type but had a more fragmented appearance. The loss of mitochondrial DNA in the mmm1 deletion strain correlates to error in mitochondrial morphology in the mmm1 deletion strain. Revertance of wild type mitochondrial DNA retention by adding the fzo1 point mutant to the mmm1 deletion correlates to the revertance of mitochondrial morphology in the mmm1 deletion and fzo1 point mutant strain. Therefore there is a correlation between retention of mitochondrial DNA and mitochondrial morphology in these experimental strains, but further research must be done in this area to discover the exact cause of this correlation.
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University of Wyoming Libraries