Prof. Dr. Oliver Daumke, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin

Mitochondrial architecture is characterized by an extended and elaborately folded inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM). Due to their spatial constraints and specific protein inventory, the cristae domains of the IMM shape a unique micro-compartment optimized for oxidative phosphorylation. Crista junctions (CJs) form the highly curved neck regions of cristae and have been suggested to act as selective entry gates into the cristae space. The mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system (MICOS) constitutes the backbone scaffold of CJs, but molecular insights have remained sparse due to a lack of structural information. Here, I provide an overview on our efforts to characterize structure and function of crista junctions using an integrative structural biology approach.