Mitochondria News and Research

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Scientists discover direct physical contact between two key cellular structures

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that two key cellular structures, called mitochondria and lysosomes, come into direct contact with each other in the cell to regulate their respective functions.

27 Jan 2018

EXD2 enzyme facilitates protein production in mitochondria

Researchers from the Genomic Instability and Cancer Laboratory at Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have identified a key role for EXD2 in protein production in the mitochondria, the cellular organelles responsible for the majority of energy generation.

17 Jan 2018

Bile acids: A new therapy against obesity

Obesity arises from an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. As a result, current treatments try to decrease calorie intake and/or increase energy expenditure.

17 Jan 2018

How fatal mitochondrial diseases may strike offspring of families with no history of the conditions

Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) have discovered how some children inherit a potentially life-threatening mitochondrial disease, despite being born to a healthy mother.

16 Jan 2018

Bile acids could directly burn away lipids in the fat depots

The EPFL scientists discovered that bile acids can turn fat-storing cells into fat-burning ones. This process is called thermogenesis (literally, "heat production") and it helps maintain body temperature in cold environments.

16 Jan 2018

Study reveals how devastating mitochondrial diseases strike families without any previous history

Researchers have shown for the first time how children can inherit a severe - potentially fatal - mitochondrial disease from a healthy mother.

15 Jan 2018

Mitochondrial impairment may actually protect the brain in Parkinson's disease, study shows

A Norwegian study shows that impairment in mitochondria may actually protect the brain in Parkinson's disease.

15 Jan 2018

Scientists discover new enzyme that could help in the battle against obesity

Scientists have discovered a new enzyme in adipose tissue that helps regulate inflammation. The discovery could help in the battle against obesity.

15 Jan 2018

Researchers discover new warning system in the immune defense

Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have discovered a previously unknown warning system that contributes to the body's immune system. Mitochondria in the white blood cells secrete a web of DNA fibers that raises the alarm.

12 Jan 2018

CHOP researchers explore effective nutritional therapies for mitochondrial disease

Defects in mitochondria, the tiny structures that power our cells by functioning as biological batteries, cause an array of complex, often life-threatening disorders that can affect any and all organs and systems.

10 Jan 2018

Salk scientists identify molecular target of experimental Alzheimer’s drug

The experimental drug J147 is something of a modern elixir of life; it's been shown to treat Alzheimer's disease and reverse aging in mice and is almost ready for clinical trials in humans.

10 Jan 2018

Survival strategy of mRNAs during sugar deficiency in the cell

If a cell runs low on sugar, it stores certain messenger RNAs in order to prolong its life. As a research group at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has now discovered, the protein Puf5p determines whether individual messenger RNAs will be stored or degraded when sugar levels are low.

9 Jan 2018

Study identifies how excess fat disrupts heart cells' ability to produce energy

A University of Iowa study has identified how excess fat in the heart, a common feature in diabetes and obesity, can harm the cells' essential ability to produce energy.

5 Jan 2018

Soil-dwelling bacterium produces potential weapon against melanoma

A type of soil-dwelling bacterium produces molecules that induce death in melanoma cells, research at Oregon State University shows.

4 Jan 2018

Study finds new brainstem changes in Parkinson’s disease

A pioneering study has found that patients with Parkinson's disease have more errors in the mitochondrial DNA within the brainstem, leading to increased cell death in that area.

4 Jan 2018

UMSOM researchers identify new role for mitochondria in cocaine-induced behavior

For years, scientists have known that mitochondria in brain cells play a role in brain disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and stress responses.

20 Dec 2017

Antidepressant may also alleviate multiple sclerosis symptoms

The antidepressant clomipramine may also alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), specifically in its progressive form, i.e. when it occurs without relapses or remissions.

20 Dec 2017

Spatial deconvolution of marker expression in whole heart subjected to ischemia-reperfusion

When a coronary artery is obstructed by atheroma, blood flow is depressed or even arrested. This causes hypoxia of cardiac cells associated with the deprivation of nutrients. In clinic, the first objective is to restore blood flow. However, this is associated with a burst in oxidation of cellular proteins and lipids. This oxidation enhances cell death and participates to the so-called reperfusion injury.

From Logos Biosystems 18 Dec 2017

Mitochondrial error-correction mechanism essential for energy production of cells

Mitochondria generate most of the energy cells need through a respiratory chain for which they must produce their own proteins.

13 Dec 2017

Bipolar disorder may involve accelerated epigenetic aging, study finds

Bipolar disorder may involve accelerated epigenetic aging, which could explain why persons with the disorder are more likely to have - and die from - age-related diseases, according to researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

12 Dec 2017