Article contents
Whole Cell Cryo-Electron Tomography Suggests Mitochondria Divide by Budding
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 May 2014
Abstract
Eukaryotes rely on mitochondrial division to guarantee that each new generation of cells acquires an adequate number of mitochondria. Mitochondrial division has long been thought to occur by binary fission and, more recently, evidence has supported the idea that binary fission is mediated by dynamin-related protein (Drp1) and the endoplasmic reticulum. However, studies to date have depended on fluorescence microscopy and conventional electron microscopy. Here, we utilize whole cell cryo-electron tomography to visualize mitochondrial division in frozen hydrated intact HeLa cells. We observe a large number of relatively small mitochondria protruding from and connected to large mitochondria or mitochondrial networks. Therefore, this study provides evidence that mitochondria divide by budding.
Keywords
- Type
- Biological Applications
- Information
- Copyright
- © Microscopy Society of America 2014
References
Hu Supplementary Material
Movie S1, a round-trip slice-wise show of the 3D map associated with Fig. 2A and D.
Hu Supplementary Material
Movie S2, a round-trip slice-wise display of the 3D map associated with Fig. 2B and E.
- 10
- Cited by