Adhesión de membranas lipídicas mediadas por la proteína mitofusina 1implicaciones en el proceso de fusión mitocondrial

Abstract

Membrane fusion is a fundamental biological process in many areas of physiology. Extracellularly, it occurs during viral infection, fertilization of the ovules by sperm and the formation of syncytia in muscle development. Intracellularly, it participates in the transport of proteins and lipids between organelles, in exocytotic events such as the release of neurotransmitters or insulin secretion, and in the maintenance of the shape and function of mitochondria. During all these events, two cellular compartments, separated and delimited by lipid bilayers, must connect and fuseto mix their membrane components and their aqueous volumes. Since biological membranes are designed to be stable, such fusion events are energetically costly and require the intervention of special proteins that help the membranes advance through the successive stages that lead to fusion.x..