Get1p and Get2p are required for maintenance of mitochondrial morphology and normal cardiolipin levels

Abstract

Cardiolipin (CL) is the signature phospholipid of mitochondrial membranes. CL deficiency leads to defects in mitochondrial function. Using a targeted synthetic lethality screen to identify defects that exacerbate CL deficiency, we determined that deletion of mitochondrial morphology genes in cells lacking CL leads to severe growth defects. We show that ER membrane proteins Get1p and Get2p are required for maintaining normal levels of CL. We propose that these proteins regulate the level of CL by maintaining wild type-like tubular mitochondrial morphology. The genetic interactions observed in this study identify novel physiological modifiers that are required for maintenance of CL levels and mitochondrial morphology.