Analysis of mitochondrial protein aggregation and disaggregation.

Deficits of mitochondrial functions have been identified in many human pathologies, in particular in age-related human neurodegenerative diseases. Hence, the molecular causes for mitochondrial dysfunction and potential protection mechanisms have become a major topic in modern cell biology. Apart from defects in their structural integrity, problems in mitochondrial protein biogenesis, including polypeptide transport, folding and assembly to active enzymes, all may result in some degree of functional defects of the organelle.