Aberrant Mitochondrial Dynamics: An Emerging Pathogenic Driver of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Figure 1

Mitochondrial dynamics. Mitochondrial dynamics includes the process of mitochondrial biogenesis, fusion, fission, and mitophagy and determine the proper abundance and function of mitochondria. (1) PGC-1α regulates mitobiogenesis and initiates mtDNA transcription through its downstream factors, such as NRF1/2. (2) Mitofusion 1/2(MFN1/2) on the outer mitochondrial membrane and optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) on the inner mitochondrial membrane regulates mitochondrial fusion. (3) DRP1 serves to constrict mitochondrion physically and uses FIS1 as mitochondrial targets to form the fission complex, and MFF and MiD49/51 also participate in mitochondrial fission. (4) Canonical regulation of mitophagy includes the PINK1/PARKIN pathway; PINK1 recruits PARKIN on mitochondrion where PARKIN ubiquitinates downstream proteins and initiates the form of mitophagy.