First published online May 8, 2008
Journal of Cell Science 121, 1001e (2008)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
Peroxisomal fission goes both ways
Like mitochondria, peroxisomes proliferate by fission. The number of peroxisomes in the cell varies in response to environmental conditions, but what is the molecular machinery that controls their proliferation? The dynamin-related proteins Dnm1p (which has a role in mitochondrial fission) and Vps1p are thought to be involved in the duplication of peroxisomes, but their roles have been unclear. Now, Ewald Hettema and colleagues (p. 1633) demonstrate that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae harbours two redundant machineries for peroxisomal division. The authors show that Vps1p and Dnm1p act independently to promote the fission of peroxisomes, and that Dnm1p acts in concert with the proteins Fis1p, Mdv1p and Caf4p, just as it does in mitochondrial fission. Moreover, the relative contributions of the two systems can be manipulated – for instance, Dnm1p-dependent fission dominates in yeast that have impaired mitochondrial function. The authors go on to show that mitochondria and peroxisomes compete for Dnm1p, and that Fis1p helps to distribute Dnm1p between the two organelles. These results draw parallels between peroxisomal and mitochondrial fission, and hint at the interdependence of the two systems.
Related articles in JCS:
- Dnm1p-dependent peroxisome fission requires Caf4p, Mdv1p and Fis1p
- Alison M. Motley, Gemma P. Ward, and Ewald H. Hettema
JCS 2008 121: 1633-1640.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
