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Single-Cell Biophysics: Measurement, Modulation, and Modeling
Poster Abstracts
48
7-POS
Board 4
Mathematical Modeling of Mitochondrial Quality Control in Mitochondiral Life Cycle and
its Role in Aging
Chen Chang
1
, Yi-Ping Ho
2
, An-Chi Wei
1
.
1
National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan,
2
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha
Tin, Hong Kong.
Mitochondria play an important role in cell viability, for providing most of the energy in cells.
The dynamics and quality of these organelles are therefore critical for cell activities. Previous
research has shown that mitochondria have two different morphologies, a network and an
individual status, and that mitochondria, throughout their life cycles, constantly enter and reenter
each of these statuses during fusion and fission events. This suggests that a combination of
fusion, fission, and mitophagy events may serve as a mechanism of mitochondrial quality
control. The increasing interest in the mitochondria life cycle has led to more attempts to create
mathematical model of fusion/fission/mitophagy events. Recent modellings have demonstrated
that a favorable fusion and fission balance may inhibit the clonal expansion of damaged
mitochondrial DNA and may prove critical to the maintenance of mitochondrial quality.
This research implements mathematical modelling of the mitochondrial life cycle that accounts
for several new findings regarding this cycle. In this stochastic model, the quality and size of
individual mitochondria are described in terms of mitochondrial nucleic content. Simulations of
fusion/fission/mitophagy are optimized to match the different cell statuses in different life
periods. This model also considers the factor of spatial distribution of mitochondria within cells.
We also assume that the event of mitophagy, followed by fission, is not random but is mediated
to create an unbalanced distribution of mitochondrial contents. Implementations of a dynamic
status then allow us the exploration of the role of fusion/fission/mitophagy in ageing, and its
effects on the cell division, from a bio-energetic perspective. Our ultimate goal is gain greater
insight into the differences in the dynamical equilibrium of fusion/fission and its relevance to cell
survival.