Alladi Ramakrishnan Hall

Genetic screens: targeting mitochondrial shape size and numbers

Manish Jaiswal

TIFR Hyderabad

Mitochondria constantly undergo fission, fusion and biogenesis depending on the cell type, developmental stage or pathophysiological state of the cells. To identify novel players involved in these processes, we performed a genetic screening on Drosophila. We identified mutations in numerous genes causing increased mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial fission defects. Interestingly, we found that mutations in several genes that code for mitochondrial proteins and affect their function cause an increase in mitochondrial number and size. We further found that the regulation of mitochondrial number and size under mitochondrial stress conditions is mediated by a transcription factor dMyc and an E2 Ubiquitin ligase Bendless, respectively. In my talk, I will highlight how these mitochondrial regulations are crucial for cellular health.