Abstract 2684 Mitochondria as signaling hubs that regulate stem cell function

The regulation of adult stem cell quiescence is essential for stem cell maintenance, longevity and sustained tissue regeneration, however, the upstream regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood. Our studies have uncovered that changes in stem cell mitochondrial shape serve as an upstream signaling mechanism that communicates retrogradely with the nucleus to regulate the quiescent state of stem cells[1]. We show that mitochondria in stem cells rapidly fragment in response to an environmental activation stimulus to drive the exit from deep quiescence.