A Review on the Mechanisms of Mitochondrial Dynamics and the Relationship with Neurodegeneration

Mitochondrial health underlies many critical processes in the cell, and the health of the mitochondria is in turn regulated by mitochondrial dynamics -- the joint processes of mitochondrial fission, fusion and trafficking within the cell. The role of mitochondrial dynamics in regulating both ATP production and apoptosis via maintaining mitochondrial morphology has only recently been described. In particular, this regulation is a key etiology for neurodegenerative diseases due to the high energetic requirement of neural cells. Although the central effectors of fusion and fission have been identified, little is known about how accessory proteins and regulatory networks affect context-dependent and temporal changes in the mitochondrial network. In this review, we will mainly focus on the mechanisms of mitochondrial fission, fusion and trafficking, as well as the regulation in neurodegenerative diseases, hoping to provide a new direction for the future researches and the treatments of neurodegenerative diseases by regulating mitochondrial dynamics.