By Catharine Paddock, Ph.D. Fact checked by Isabel Godfrey New research reveals that mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses that live inside cells and give them energy, work more like a Tesla battery pack than the kind of battery that you put in a flashlight. Apart from red blood cells, all cells in the human body contain...
Tag: <span>mitochondria</span>
Post
New way to tackle mitochondrial disease
Diseases affecting mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, are often caused by mutations in the mitochondrial DNA. Symptoms of such mitochondrial diseases in mice can be ameliorated by increasing their levels of mitochondrial DNA, according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The study is published in Science Advances and could lead to a novel treatment strategy for such mitochondrial diseases. Mitochondria are highly dynamic...
Post
Study highlights danger of vitamin B12 deficiency
Rice University researchers found vitamin B12 promotes survival during infection by improving mitochondrial health. The expression of a fluorescent protein (top left) reflects buildup of a toxic metabolic product, propionate, in mitochondria on diets low in B12, as compared (bottom left) to those receiving sufficient B12. Mitochondrially targeted fluorescent protein (center) reveals fragmentation of mitochondria when B12 is low, and dead worms...
Post
Network of doctors identify the cause of 31 new conditions
A network of hundreds of doctors has uncovered the biological characteristics of 31 previously unknown diseases, as well as providing diagnoses for other unsolved medical cases, and it continues to investigate many more. Numerous patients afflicted by mysterious illnesses remain without a diagnosis despite extensive medical evaluation. Image Credit: Natali_ Mis / Shutterstock The Undiagnosed...
Post
Breakthrough in understanding mitochondria
Ribosomes imaged on the surface of mitochondria by cryo-electron microscopy. Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how mitochondria – the “powerhouses” of human cells – are made. Mitochondria, which exist within human cells but have their own DNA, need many different proteins to function – but the process of how they get these has never...