Mitochondrial fission factor (Mff) is a

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

that in humans is encoded by the ''MFF''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

. Its primary role is in controlling the division of mitochondria. It has also been shown to regulate peroxisome morphology.

Role in mitochondrial fission

Mff is an

outer mitochondrial membrane A mitochondrion (; ) is an organelle found in the cells of most Eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is use ...

protein that binds to the

GTPase GTPases are a large family of hydrolase enzymes that bind to the nucleotide guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and hydrolyze it to guanosine diphosphate (GDP). The GTP binding and hydrolysis takes place in the highly conserved P-loop "G domain", a pro ...

Drp1; the Mff-Drp1 complex is what promotes mitochondrial fission. Knockdown of Mff causes the mitochondrial network to expand (by releasing the Drp1 foci from the outer mitochondrial membrane), while Mff overexpression causes it to become fragmented (by stimulating mitochondrial recruitment of Drp1).

Role in mitochondrial fission

References

Further reading