Miro-Working beyond Mitochondria and Microtubules

Cells. 2018 Mar 4;7(3):18. doi: 10.3390/cells7030018.

Abstract

The small GTPase Miro is best known for its regulation of mitochondrial movement by engaging with the microtubule-based motor proteins kinesin and dynein. Very recent findings have now showed that Miro also targets peroxisomes and regulates microtubule-dependent peroxisome motility. Moreover, Miro recruits and stabilizes the myosin motor Myo19 at the mitochondria to enable actin-based mitochondria movement, which is important for mitochondrial segregation during mitosis. Miro thus has much broader functions that previously known, and these new findings may have important implications on disease pathology.

Keywords: Mitochondrial Rho (Miro); actin; microtubules; mitochondria; peroxisome.