Figure 10.

Models. (A) The protective role of mitochondrial fusion. At a low rate, individual mitochondria stochastically lose function. In wild-type cells, a defective mitochondrion (shaded) undergoes fusion with functional mitochondria and regains activity. In Mfn- deficient cells, such rescue occurs at a much reduced rate. (B) Three modes of mitofusin action. Mitofusins form homotypic and heterotypic complexes that lead to three activities (I, II, III) involving fusion. See Discussion for details. Mfn1 mutant cells contain only activity III; Mfn2 mutant cells contain only activity I. Since disruption of either Mfn1 or Mfn2 fragments mitochondria and results in distinct phenotypes, MEFs appear to use all three activities (indicated by asterisks). In contrast, trophoblast giant cells predominantly use activity III because they are affected in Mfn2 mutants and not Mfn1 mutants.