Mitochondria

Healthy mitochondria, those tiny cellular structures high school biology teachers often tout as “the powerhouses of the cell,” are a necessity for producing energy in the body—but new research supports the idea that they are more than just adenosine triphosphate (ATP)–pumping machines. For about a decade, scientists have experimented with transplanting these microscopic organelles to treat damaged hearts and other tissues, and they have seen a handful of successful outcomes in human trials. But the role mitochondria play…

The enzyme STARD7 (green) helps mitochondria (red) to transport Coenzyme Q to protect cells from cell death. Credit: MPI f. Biology of Aging/ S. DeshwalThe distribution of Coenzyme Q within a cell is regulated by mitochondria.Antioxidants are frequently touted as a panacea in the realm of nutrition and sold as dietary supplements. Nevertheless, our bodies naturally produce these free radical neutralizers, one of which is Coenzyme Q. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging in Cologne, Germany, have…

Mitochondria are small, dynamic organelles found in the cells of most eukaryotic organisms. They are often referred to as the “powerhouses of the cell” because they generate the majority of a cell’s supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used as a source of chemical energy.A new study sheds light on the organization of proteins within mitochondria.Mitochondria, the “powerhouses” of cells, play a crucial role in the energy production of organisms and are involved in various metabolic and signaling processes.…

A gift from their mothers might reenergize the cells of children who carry faulty mitochondria, the organelles that serve as cells’ power plants. A research team is testing a strategy that involves soaking patients’ blood cells in a broth of healthy mitochondria from their mothers and then reinfusing them. Early signs suggest the intervention is safe and may improve the children’s health and development, and the researchers are planning a follow-up clinical…

A subunit of a yeast mitoribosome (pink) compared to that of a human mitoribosome (purple). Although different, the two developing subunits have an assembly factor (green) in common. Credit: Sebastian KlingeAcross the tree of life, ribosomes, the tiny protein-producing factories within cells, are ubiquitous and look largely identical. Ribosomes that keep bacteria chugging along are, structurally, not much different from those churning out proteins in our own human cells.But even two organisms with similar ribosomes may…

As of 2022, it is estimated that over 600,000 people die of cancer each year in the United States.A multi-gene expression signature in tumors is associated with aggressive disease and poor patient outcomes, and it has the potential to become a genetic cancer biomarker.The human cell’s primary source of energy, the mitochondria plays an important role in the metabolism of cancer cells. In a study recently published in PLOS ONE, researchers from throughout the world, including Dario C. Altieri, M.D., president and chief…