The simplest configuration of mitochondria in a cell is as small separate organellar units. Instead, mitochondria often form a dynamic, intricately connected network. A basic understanding of the topological properties of mitochondrial networks, and their influence on cell function is lacking. We performed an extensive quantitative analysis of mitochondrial network topology, extracting mitochondrial networks in 3D from live-cell microscopic images of budding yeast cells. In the presence of fission and fusion, mitochondrial network structures exhibited certain topological properties similar to other real-world spatial networks. Fission and fusion dynamics were required to efficiently distribute mitochondria throughout the cell and generate highly interconnected networks that can facilitate efficient diffusive search processes. Thus, mitochondrial fission and fusion combine to regulate the underlying topology of mitochondrial networks, which may independently impact cell function.

细胞中线粒体的最简单配置是小的单独的细胞器单元。相反，线粒体通常形成一个动态的，错综复杂的网络。缺乏对线粒体网络拓扑特性及其对细胞功能的影响的基本了解。我们对线粒体网络拓扑进行了广泛的定量分析，从萌芽的酵母细胞的活细胞显微图像中以3D提取线粒体网络。在裂变和融合的存在下，线粒体网络结构表现出某些拓扑特性，类似于其他现实世界的空间网络。需要裂变和融合动力学来有效地将线粒体分布在整个细胞中，并生成高度互连的网络，从而可以促进有效的扩散搜索过程。从而，