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OPA1 and cardiolipin team up for mitochondrial fusion

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Fusion between the inner membranes of two mitochondria requires the GTPase optic atrophy 1 (OPA1), but the molecular mechanism is poorly understood. A study now shows that fusion of two liposomes can be performed by OPA1 tethered to just one liposome, through an interaction with the phospholipid cardiolipin on the opposing liposome.

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Figure 1: L-OPA1 and cardiolipin interactions mediate membrane fusion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, 91125, California, USA

    Raymond Liu & David C. Chan

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  1. Raymond Liu
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  2. David C. Chan
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Correspondence to David C. Chan.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Liu, R., Chan, D. OPA1 and cardiolipin team up for mitochondrial fusion. Nat Cell Biol 19, 760–762 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb3565

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