Accurate concentration control of mitochondria and nucleoids

Abstract

Mitochondria migration during mitosis Every time a cell divides, it is faced with the problem of ensuring adequate distribution of all components to the daughter cells. This includes components that are present in relatively small numbers, like the mitochondria and their DNA-containing nucleoids. Jajoo et al. used quantitative time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of single yeast cells to explore how this works. Unlike chromosomes or macromolecules, mitochondria and nucleoids are distributed in proportion to the volume of cytoplasm received by each daughter cell. Partitioning errors are kept low by even distribution of the mitochondrial volume and roughly equal spacing of the nucleoids before they are distributed. Science , this issue p. 169