Interfaces between mitochondrial dynamics and disease

In the cellular context, mitochondria display a number of dynamic behaviors including fusion, division (or fission), directed transport, and targeted destruction (mitophagy). The relevance of these processes to human diseases has been intensively studied over the last several years, and emphasize the importance of mitochondrial dynamics to the central nervous system. Intriguingly, a common theme is that these behaviors do not function in isolation, but influence one another either directly or indirectly. Here, we review the dynamic properties of mitochondria and summarize their relationships to human diseases.