Drosophila dendrites are resilient to adult-onset deficits in mitochondrial dynamics.
- 1Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract
Mitochondrial transport, fusion, and fission are necessary for neuronal development, but the role of mitochondrial dynamics in neuronal maintenance remains unclear. In this work, we employed functional in vivo imaging of neurons in the Drosophila visual system, "horizontal system" (HS) cells, to determine how adult-onset deficits in mitochondrial dynamics affect mitochondrial localization, local regulation of ATP, and dendrite maintenance. In mature HS neurons, inhibition of mitochondrial transport or fusion depleted mitochondria from the dendrite over time but, surprisingly, had no effect on dendrite morphology. Moreover, adult-restricted mitochondrial mislocalization affected neither visual stimulus-driven dendritic calcium responses nor local, dynamic regulation of ATP levels. In contrast, when induced during development, the same perturbations caused mitochondrial mislocalization, loss of dendrite complexity, abrogation of stimulus-locked calcium responses and ATP fluctuations, and age-dependent dendrite degeneration. Thus, although mitochondrial dynamics are necessary during neuronal development, mature dendrites are capable of maintaining form and function in vivo upon mitochondrial depletion.
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BibTeX
@article{wang2026drosophila,
title = {{Drosophila dendrites are resilient to adult-onset deficits in mitochondrial dynamics.}},
author = {Hailey Q Wang and Demetria G Fortson and Eavan D Burton and Hunter S Whitbeck and Briana M Robles and Kwass Wass and Letitia Bortey and Avi J Adler and Jordan I Kalai and Giovanna Napoleone and Erin L Barnhart},
journal = {The Journal of cell biology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1083/jcb.202511010},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42895508},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Drosophila dendrites are resilient to adult-onset deficits in mitochondrial dynamics.
AU - Hailey Q Wang
AU - Demetria G Fortson
AU - Eavan D Burton
AU - Hunter S Whitbeck
AU - Briana M Robles
AU - Kwass Wass
AU - Letitia Bortey
AU - Avi J Adler
AU - Jordan I Kalai
AU - Giovanna Napoleone
AU - Erin L Barnhart
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - The Journal of cell biology
DO - 10.1083/jcb.202511010
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42895508
AB - Mitochondrial transport, fusion, and fission are necessary for neuronal development, but the role of mitochondrial dynamics in neuronal maintenance remains unclear. In this work, we employed functional in vivo imaging of neurons in the Drosophila visual system, "horizontal system" (HS) cells, to determine how adult-onset deficits in mitochondrial dynamics affect mitochondrial localization, local regulation of ATP, and dendrite maintenance. In mature HS neurons, inhibition of mitochondrial transport or fusion depleted mitochondria from the dendrite over time but, surprisingly, had no effect on dendrite morphology. Moreover, adult-restricted mitochondrial mislocalization affected neither visual stimulus-driven dendritic calcium responses nor local, dynamic regulation of ATP levels. In contrast, when induced during development, the same perturbations caused mitochondrial mislocalization, loss of dendrite complexity, abrogation of stimulus-locked calcium responses and ATP fluctuations, and age-dependent dendrite degeneration. Thus, although mitochondrial dynamics are necessary during neuronal development, mature dendrites are capable of maintaining form and function in vivo upon mitochondrial depletion.
SN - 0021-9525
SN - 1540-8140
ER -