Abstract
Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that exhibit a complex inner architecture. They exhibit a smooth outer membrane and a highly convoluted inner membrane that forms invaginations called cristae. Imaging cristae in living cells poses a formidable challenge for super-resolution light microscopy. Relying on a cell line stably expressing the mitochondrial protein COX8A fused to the SNAP-tag and using STED (stimulated emission depletion) nanoscopy, we demonstrate the visualization of cristae dynamics in cultivated human cells. We show that in human HeLa cells lamellar cristae are often arranged in groups separated by voids that are generally occupied by mitochondrial nucleoids.
Highlights
Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that exhibit a complex inner architecture
As c oxidase subunit 8A (COX8A) is a subunit of complex IV of the respiratory chain, it is expected to be preferentially localized in the crista membrane[17,18]
The intricate mitochondrial membrane architecture is vital for the functioning of mitochondria as cellular powerhouses
Summary
Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that exhibit a complex inner architecture. They exhibit a smooth outer membrane and a highly convoluted inner membrane that forms invaginations called cristae. Mitochondria form tubular and highly dynamic networks in mammalian cells that constantly undergo fusion and fission events[1,2]. They are double-membrane organelles that exhibit a smooth outer membrane and a highly convoluted inner membrane. The study of cristae in living cells requires light microscopy; a challenge for studying cristae dynamics is the small size of the mitochondria. The overall mitochondrial dynamics and the cristae movements, difficulties in labelling and concerns on light induced photo-toxicity have hampered the visualization of single cristae dynamics using live-cell nanoscopy[7,13,14]
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