Mitochondrial fission and fusion in Dictyostelium discoideum: a search for proteins involved in membrane dynamics.

Background: Mitochondrial morphology is maintained by two distinct membrane events -fission and fusion. Altering these conserved processes can disrupt mitochondrial morphology and distribution, thereby disrupting the organelle's functionality and impeding cellular function. In higher eukaryotes, these processes are mediated by a family of dynamin-related proteins (DRP's).