Interaction between neurofilaments and mitochondria in cultured cells of the rat hippocampus

Interaction between neurofilaments and mitochondria was studied on the model of cultured hippocampal cells of newborn rats. A treatment by specific toxins -iminodipropionitril or hexanedione resulted in a disintegration and translocation of neurofilaments in the cultured neurons. These effects were accompanied by a considerable decrease in dimensions of mitochondria, an increase in their elongation coefficient, a noticeable increase in spatial density of these organelles, and their translocation within the perinuclear layer of cytoplasm. The role of neurofilaments in the intraneuronal distribution of mitochondria and modifications of their functional state is discussed. The neurofilament system is supposed to considerably influence the processes of division, growth, and translocation of the mitochondria.Neirofiziologiya/Neurophysiology, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 3–10, January–February, 1995.