Mitochondrial-actin interaction

A tight interaction of actin and mitochondria in mammalian cells has been discovered only recently. It became evident that actin is relevant for mitochondrial dynamics, but also for mitochondrial function. While only little is known about the actin regulators that control morphology and function of mitochondria in mammalian cells, we identified crucial functions for cofilin1 in mitochondrial dynamics (Rehklau, Cell Death Differ 2012; Rehklau Cell Death Dis, 2017). By exploiting primary neuronal cultures, but also mouse embryonic fibroblasts or cell lines, we currently study the mitochondrial function of selected actin regulators.