Mitochondrial Dynamics Is a Distinguishing Feature of Skeletal Muscle Fiber Types and Regulates Organellar Compartmentalization

Prashant Mishra, Grigor Varuzhanyan, Anh H. Pham, David C. Chan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

161 Scopus citations

Abstract

Skeletal muscle fibers differentiate into specific fiber types with distinct metabolic properties determined by their reliance on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Using in vivo approaches, we find that OXPHOS-dependent fibers, compared to glycolytic fibers, contain elongated mitochondrial networks with higher fusion rates that are dependent on the mitofusins Mfn1 and Mfn2. Switching of a glycolytic fiber to an oxidative IIA type is associated with elongation of mitochondria, suggesting that mitochondrial fusion is linked to metabolic state. Furthermore, we reveal that mitochondrial proteins are compartmentalized to discrete domains centered around their nuclei of origin. The domain dimensions are dependent on fiber type and are regulated by the mitochondrial dynamics proteins Mfn1, Mfn2, and Mff. Our results indicate that mitochondrial dynamics is tailored to fiber type physiology and provides a rationale for the segmental defects characteristic of aged and diseased muscle fibers.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1033-1044
Number of pages12
JournalCell Metabolism
Volume22
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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