CYCS and bacterial infectious disease: For example, bacterial infection can induce mitochondrial cell death pathways through classical mechanisms involving mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and ∆Ψm disruption.6 The subsequent release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the host cell cytoplasm triggers apoptosome and associated caspase activity.6 The balance between mitochondrial fragmentation and elongation can be disrupted by various environmental stimuli, including bacterial infection, leading to excessive fragmentation that may destroy cellular ATP biogenesis and cause mitochondrial dysfunction.