Fig. 1.

Mitochondria life cycle and contribution of dynamic processes in bridging the gap between biogenesis and mitophagy processes. Biogenesis results in the formation of de novo mitochondria that can fuse together to form a reticular network. Healthy mitochondria may also fuse with damaged/compromised mitochondria to allow for complementation of material (substrates, mitochondrial DNA, etc.). In response to numerous stressors ultimately causing depolarization, a portion of the mitochondrial network can split and undergo mitophagy or, in cases where recovery takes place, they can fuse back to the existing network