Mitochondria: Major Regulators of Neural Development

Mitochondria are organelles derived from primitive symbiosis between archeon ancestors and prokaryotic -proteobacteria species, which lost the capacity of synthetizing most proteins encoded the bacterial DNA, along the evolutionary process of eukaryotes. Nowadays, mitochondria are constituted by small circular mitochondrial DNA of 16 kb, responsible for the control of several proteins, including polypeptides of the electron transport chain. Throughout evolution, these organelles acquired the capacity of regulating energy production and metabolism, thus becoming central modulators of cell fate. In fact, mitochondria are crucial for a variety of cellular processes, including adenosine triphosphate production by oxidative phosphorylation, intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis, generation of reactive oxygen species, and also cellular specialization in a variety of tissues that ultimately relies on specific mitochondrial specialization and maturation. In this review, we discuss recent evidence extending the importance of mitochondrial function and energy metabolism to the context of neuronal development and adult neurogenesis.