Mitochondria —the energy powerhouses of cells— play an essential role in cell physiology. The joining of two or more mitochondria and the division of a mitochondrion into two units are common processes. They are known as mitochondrial dynamics and are necessary for the proper functioning of these structures and of the cell itself.

A paper published in the journal Nature Communications describes for the first time a mechanism of cellular inflammation linked to alterations in mitochondrial dynamics that leads to muscle atrophy. According to the study, blocking the binding of mitochondria and blocking their fragmentation triggers the inflammatory process, albeit by different mechanisms.

The study is led by Antonio Zorzano, professor at the Faculty of Biology, head of the Complex Metabolic Diseases and Mitochondria Laboratory at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and group leader of the Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERDEM), and David Sebastián, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, associate researcher at IRB and member of CIBERDEM.

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