PI(4)P regulates mitochondrial fission

Cell Biology Mitochondria are dynamic intracellular organelles, the shape and number of which are regulated by various cell-signaling pathways. Mitochondrial division is driven by the recruitment of a constricting guanosine triphosphatase protein at sites of contact with the endoplasmic reticulum, but other factors, including lysosomes, are also involved. Nagashima et al. now document an essential role for Golgi-derived vesicles bearing a specific lipid—phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate, or PI(4)P—in the final steps of mitochondrial division. Disruption of PI(4)P production results in mitochondrial morphological defects indicative of an inability to complete fission. Science , this issue p. [1366][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aax6089