Laura L. Lackner

The paper shows that the volume of mitochondria inherited by daughter cells in budding yeast affects mtDNA homeostasis, with reduced mitochondrial volume increasing mtDNA loss and requiring copy number upregulation to maintain function.

This study identifies Mdm38/LETM1 as a protein that links ion homeostasis and proteostasis in the mitochondrial inner membrane in yeast.

The paper shows that balanced, reduced rates of mitochondrial fission and fusion maintain mtDNA integrity in yeast, and increased mtDNA copy number reduces respiratory loss in mutants.