Mitochondria News and Research

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New Protein Identified as Regulator of Mitochondrial Calcium Transport

Calcium transport into and out of mitochondria – the powerhouses of cells – is central to cellular energy production and cell death.

9 Apr 2025

New Research Reveals Mitochondrial Guardians Linked to Parkinson’s and ALS

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have discovered how a group of proteins linked to Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis act as "guardians" of mitochondria, small organelles, or subunits, within a cell that make and store energy and are found in almost all plants and animals.

8 Apr 2025

New Discovery Reveals How Cells Repair Damaged Mitochondrial DNA

Damage to the genetic material of mitochondria – the mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA for short – can lead to diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.

7 Apr 2025

Genomic and Geological Timeline of Bacterial Evolution

Scientists at the University of Queensland have contributed to the development of a precise timeline for bacterial evolution, indicating that some bacteria used oxygen long before they evolved the ability to manufacture it through photosynthesis.

4 Apr 2025

Horses' Unique Genetic Adaptation for Superior Endurance Revealed

Researchers have revealed a secret behind horses' exceptional endurance – a mutation in the KEAP1 gene that boosts energy production while protecting against cellular oxidative stress.

28 Mar 2025

MitoBrainMap Unlocks Secrets of Brain Energy Distribution

Everything the brain does-from storing memories to interpreting sights to regulating emotions-requires energy, all produced by cellular organelles called mitochondria.

28 Mar 2025

Researchers Unveil the Architecture of Mitochondria at Unprecedented Resolution

Mitochondria are the powerhouses in our cells, producing the energy for all vital processes. Using cryo-electron tomography, researchers at the University of Basel, Switzerland, have now gained insight into the architecture of mitochondria at unprecedented resolution.

22 Mar 2025

Bioengineering a Luminous Biosensor for Aberrant DNA Detection

Cells contain a DNA sensor called cGAS, which alerts the immune system to viral and bacterial infections, cell death, and cancer-related transformations.

20 Mar 2025

Mitochondria Found to Control DNA Repair Protein and Delay Inflammaging

In humans and other multicellular organisms, cells multiply. This defining feature allows embryos to grow into adulthood, and enables the healing of the many bumps, bruises and scrapes along the way.

14 Mar 2025

Structural Insights into uMtCK Offer New Pathways for Targeting Cancer Energy Mechanisms

Cancer cells have an insatiable appetite for energy as they multiply more rapidly than normal cells. Greedy cancer cells hijack various cellular functions to find and exploit energy and other resources, including a group of enzymes that help normal cells maintain a balance of energy.

8 Mar 2025

Understanding TEFM's Role in mtDNA Stability

Mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) is vital for cellular energy production and the overall functionality of cells.

6 Mar 2025

Zika Virus Hijacks Placental Tunnels to Evade Immune Defense

Infection with Zika virus in pregnancy can lead to neurological disorders, fetal abnormalities and fetal death. Until now, how the virus manages to cross the placenta, which nurtures the developing fetus and forms a strong barrier against microbes and chemicals that could harm the fetus, has not been clear.

24 Feb 2025

Wayne State Researchers Receive $1.8 Million Grant for Mitophagy Study

A recent award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health will aid Wayne State University researchers in their exploration of the underlying biology of several diseases.

22 Feb 2025

New Discoveries Challenge Textbook Knowledge of Mitochondrial Respiration

In an article published in the journal Trends in Biochemical Sciences, Alicia Kowaltowski, full professor at the University of São Paulo's Institute of Chemistry (IQ-USP) in Brazil, advocates the "rewriting" of textbooks on the location of the electron transport chain in mitochondria and the role of sodium in mitochondrial respiration.

20 Feb 2025

Researchers Discover New Role of Mitofusin 2 in Cellular Health

Researchers from Cologne, Bochum, Padova and Angers have discovered a novel connection between mitochondrial function, protein quality control and cellular health, whose failure could be the leading cause in the currently incurable neurological disease Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT).

17 Feb 2025

New Research Sheds Light on How Cells Manage Fat Recycling

Accumulation of fat molecules is detrimental to the cell. Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), have made a breakthrough in understanding how our cells manage to stay healthy by recycling important fat molecules.

13 Feb 2025