利用果蝇连接组的电子显微镜，该研究团队发现了控制神经元中数百个线粒体的形态和定位的定量规则。课题组人员发现线粒体形态特征是特定于细胞和神经递质类型，提供指纹识别神经元。相对于突触和结构特征，线粒体的定位精度为2-3 μm，在神经元类型和隔室之间存在系统性差异。线粒体定位与区域活动和突触后靶标相关。单主题视觉皮层连接组的分析证实了细胞类型的特定形态，并确定了部分不同的定位规则。这些结果证实线粒体是嵌入电路的细胞器，其分布将亚细胞结构与大脑连接联系起来。
据悉，神经元的功能取决于线粒体，但对它们在神经元中的组织知之甚少。
附：英文原文
Title: Spatial and morphological organization of mitochondria in neurons across a connectome
Author: Garrett Sager, Paul Pfeiffer, Heng Wu, Fabian Pallasdies, Robert Gowers, Snusha Ravikumar, Elizabeth Wu, Daniel Colón-Ramos, Susanne Schreiber, Damon A. Clark
Issue&Volume: 2025-12-11
Abstract: Neuronal function depends on mitochondria, but little is known about their organization across neurons. Using an electron microscopy Drosophila connectome, we uncovered quantitative rules governing the morphology and positioning of hundreds of thousands of mitochondria across thousands of neurons. We discover that mitochondrial morphological features are specific to cell and neurotransmitter type, providing fingerprints to identify neurons. Mitochondria are positioned with 2–3 μm precision relative to synaptic and structural features, with systematic differences across neuron types and compartments. Mitochondrial localization correlates with regional activity and postsynaptic targets. Analysis of a mouse visual cortex connectome confirms cell-type specific morphology and identifies partially divergent positioning rules. These results establish mitochondria as circuit-embedded organelles whose distribution links subcellular architecture to brain connectivity.
DOI: ads6674
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads6674