Mitochondrial membrane remodeling in apoptosis: an inside story

During the early stages of apoptosis, mitochondria are the focal point of a battle for supremacy between opposing factions of the Bcl-2 family. The rival members of this family struggle for control of the permeability of the mitochondrial outer membrane, and ultimately, the life of the cell itself. Should the mitochondrial outer membrane be breached, numerous proteins of the mitochondrial intermembrane space come tumbling out-most notably cytochrome c-and this effectively signs the death warrant for the cell. Recent papers from the laboratories of Luca Scorrano and Bart De Strooper(1,2) have shed light upon the mechanism of cytochrome c retention within mitochondrial cristae and reveal how remodeling of these structures, to permit efficient redistribution of their contents, is achieved during the early stages of apoptosis.