Role of ADF and n-cofilin in apoptosis and mitochondrial morphology

The aim of this project was to investigate the mitochondrial function of the ABPs ADF and n-cofilin in mammalian cells. I set out (1) to unravel the mechanisms of mitochondrial n-cofilin translocation, (2) to characterize the role of ADF and n-cofilin during apoptosis, and (3) to address the question whether deletion of ADF and ncofilin influences mitochondrial morphology. To assess the mitochondrial function of ADF and n-cofilin in mammalian cells, I generated MEFs deficient for ADF (ADF-/- MEFs), n-cofilin (n-Cof-/- MEFs) and both proteins (AC MEFs).