Cell invasion though the basement membranes is an energetically demanding process, but the mechanisms through which cells produce the necessary high levels of ATP is not fully understood. Kenny-Ganzert et al. report the identification of high-capacity mitochondria with specialized electron transport chains (ETCs) that fuel invasion.

Using basement membrane invasion of Caenorhabditis elegans anchor cells, a stereotypical basement membrane transmigration event, as a model system, the authors show that anchor cell mitochondria produce high ATP levels; this is based on an enrichment of ETCs rather than an increase in mitochondria volume or number. Endogenous tagging of 15 different ETCs reveals that these high-capacity mitochondria are dense in cristae with increased electron transport capability and preferentially localize to the invasive front. The authors further show that they are specified early during anchor cell invasive differentiation and their microtubule-dependent transport is mediated by netrin and the microtubule adaptor metaxin.