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Comment
. 2014 May 2;33(9):939-41.
doi: 10.1002/embj.201488441. Epub 2014 Apr 7.

Miro1: new wheels for transferring mitochondria

Guy Las  1 , Orian S Shirihai
Affiliations
Comment

Miro1: new wheels for transferring mitochondria

Guy Las et al. EMBO J. .

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are capable of protecting cells harboring mitochondrial damage. This protection is associated with the transfer of mitochondria through tunneling nanotubes (TNT) from MSC to the injured cells. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, the group of Anurag Agrawal shows that mitochondrial transfer is dependent on the levels of Miro1, a mitochondrial Rho-GTPase that regulates intercellular mitochondrial movement. Miro1 is the first protein shown to accelerate mitochondrial transfer. Amplifying the mitochondrial transfer phenomenon may allow for the study of the mechanisms that regulate it and contribute to our understanding of its role in disease and aging.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mitochondrial transfer to the rescue. The mitochondrial Rho-GTPase, Miro1, enhances intercellular mitochondrial transfer via tunneling nanotubes (TNT) from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to epithelial cells (EC) harboring compromised mitochondria, thereby restoring mitochondrial function and preventing epithelial cell death.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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