线粒体功能障碍可能导致与年龄相关的神经退行性疾病，病理状态下线粒体的形态可发生变化。
一项关于“Three-dimensional structure of axonal mitochondria reflects the age of drosophila”的研究显示，用Fiji和Neurolucida软件可构造出神经元轴突内线粒体的三维图，直观的了解到不同年龄阶段果蝇轴突内线粒体的形态及分布。通过轴突内线粒体形态、数目、大小可推断线粒体分裂及融合失衡，显示出轴突线粒体的形态和数量随果蝇日龄的变化而变化的特点。
此研究结果发布在《中国神经再生研究（英文版）》NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH 杂志2013年3月第7期出版的文章上。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.07.005
PMC:
PMID:
Three-dimensional structure of axonal mitochondria reflects the age of drosophila☆
Honglian Zhu1, 2 , Xiaojiang Sun1
This study aimed to reconstruct a three-dimensional map of axonal mitochondria using Fiji and Neurolucida software, and to observe directly the morphology and distribution of mitochondria in axons of motor neurons in dorsal longitudinal flight muscles of drosophila aged 5 days and 20 days, using electron microscopy. Results indicated that there was no difference in the total area and volume of mitochondria between 5-day-old drosophila and 20-day-old drosophila in all sections, but the ratio of mitochondrial total areas to axon total areas, as well as mitochondrial density of 20-day-old drosophila, was lower than that of 5-day-old drosophila. The number of mitochondria, whose volume was less than 1 000 000 μm3 , and between 1 000 000 μm3 and 10 000 000 μm3 , was higher in 20-day-old drosophila than that in 5-day-old drosophila. The number of mitochondria with a volume between 1 000 000 μm3 and 100 000 000 μm3 was apparently higher than those with a volume less than 1 000 000 μm3 or larger than 100 000 000 μm3 . In addition, the number of mitochondria with a volume more than 100 000 000 μm3 was small; however, the volume was nearly 70% of the total volume in both 5-day-old and 20-day-old drosophila. In contrast, the number of mitochondria with a volume between 1 000 000 μm3 and 10 000 000 μm3 was large, but the volume was less than 30% of the total volume. These experimental findings suggest that changes in mitochondrial morphology and number in motor neurons from the dorsal longitudinal muscle of drosophila are present during different ages.
