Regulation of organelle size and organization during development

During early embryogenesis, as cells divide in the developing embryo, the size of intracellular organelles generally decreases to scale with the decrease in overall cell size. Organelle size scaling is thought to be important to establish and maintain proper cellular function, and defective scaling may lead to impaired development and disease. However, how the cell regulates organelle size and organization are largely unanswered questions. In this review, we summarize the process of size scaling at both the cell and organelle levels and discuss recently discovered mechanisms that regulate this process during early embryogenesis. In addition, we describe how some recently developed techniques and Xenopus as an animal model can be used to investigate the underlying mechanisms of size regulation and to uncover the significance of proper organelle size scaling and organization.

Automated summary

During early embryogenesis, the size of intracellular organelles decreases with overall cell size, and this size scaling is crucial for proper cellular function. The regulation of organelle size and organization is not well understood, but recent discoveries and the use of Xenopus as a model organism provide insights into these mechanisms and the significance of proper organelle size scaling.