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Mitochondria

Damage to the motor nerves in Duchenne patients. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Improving the function of the heart muscle in Duchenne patients

Producing heart cells from skin cells made it possible to discover defects that lead to heart failure
Mitochondrial structure. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The DNA is decreasing

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For 1.5 billion years, the mitochondria - the powerhouse of the cell - have been sending DNA segments to the cell nucleus, and they merge with the DNA in the nucleus. A new study found that the contribution of the mitochondria to the DNA in the cell nucleus gradually decreases. This process is expected to reduce the incidence of some hereditary diseases
Schematic diagram of the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDC) protein complex. Responsible for the transition between the metabolic pathways for the breakdown of sucralose and the production of energy in the mitochondrion ("Krebs cycle"). On the left: the classic move as it was known until now with the addition of the research hypothesis (marked with a question mark), on the right: the move as observed in transgenic mice without enzymes from the PDK family. The backup plan revealed in the study is highlighted with an exclamation mark

Opening a circle

Institute scientists are updating a version of one of the most classic diagrams in biochemistry books - the Krebs circle
Ovules in early stages of development in the ovary segment of the fruit fly. In green - mitochondrial organelles that are not active, in yellow-red - active organelles

Bacteria are fueled

Weizmann Institute scientists have revealed an effect of the gut bacteria on the body's systems mediated through the supply of essential compounds for energy production in the mitochondria
Illustration of a eukaryotic cell containing a nucleus, organelles and a membrane. Photo: depositphotos.com

New research: Why did sexual reproduction develop, and indeed it did?

It is the fusion between the genetic load of the mitochondrion and the host cell that allowed the development of eukaryotes and the sophisticated multicellular organisms we know today," states the researcher
Figure 2 The oxygen-sensing mechanism for which this year's Nobel laureates won is of fundamental importance in physiology, for example, for our metabolism and immune system and for our ability to exercise at variable vigorous levels. Many pathological processes are also affected by this mechanism. Today, many researchers are focusing on developing new drugs that can inhibit or activate the oxygen sensing mechanism, with the aim of improving treatments for anemia, cancer and other diseases. Illustration: Nobel Prize Committee for Medicine

Three researchers who studied how cells sense oxygen levels have won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine

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Mouse embryonic stem cells were observed using a spinning disk confocal microscope. The levels of the protein that prevents stem cells from differentiating (green) decrease in the presence of high levels of another protein (purple) that causes mitochondria to elongate

The elongation of mitochondria in embryonic stem cells affects the process of differentiation into the various body tissues

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Microscope image of yeast cells. Mitochondrial organelles (indicated in red) are attached to peroxisomes (in light blue) by tiny "ribbons" (in green). Illustration: Weizmann Institute

No organ is an island

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The attached images show how E260 dramatically affects the mitochondria of metastatic cells. From the study.

Researchers have developed a substance that kills cancer metastases without harming normal cells

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Decreased mitochondrial calcium uptake in cells where the MTCH2 gene has been neutralized. The photo on the left shows a nerve cell that has not been genetically modified. The photo on the right shows a transgenic nerve cell (without MTCH2). Fluorescent sensors were inserted into the cells in order to illuminate the absorption of calcium in the mitochondria, and calcium was added to the growth medium of the cells. As you can see, the sensors illuminate significantly less in the engineered cell (the color scale ranges from blue, indicating low calcium absorption, to yellow, indicating high calcium absorption), which indicates impaired calcium absorption in the mitochondria. Source: from the article.

calcium escape from the brain

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Map of the spread of man from Africa. From Wikipedia

Researchers have discovered a role in DNA mutations that occurred before the human migration from Africa to the rest of the world

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Image: Darryl Leja, NHGRI/flickr.

between darkness and light

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A selective mating approach in a chicken population that began in 1957 led to a 10-fold difference in size between chickens. Photo Credit: Virginia Tech/ John McCormick

Research in chickens has provided direct evidence of "paternal leakage" in which mitochondria are inherited from the father instead of the mother

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Mitochondria. Illustration: shutterstock

Where did the paternal mitochondria go?

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Mitochondrion

The mother's curse

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From the right (standing): Maria Marianovitch, Dr. Nathalie Yevgi-Ohana. (Sitting): Dr. Yehudit Salzman-Amir, Prof. Eitan Gross and Liat Shekhnai.

Another component in the process of cell suicide has been identified

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Rice University statisticians have dated the mitochondrial farm using new methods. Image: Rice University

The common mother of all humans lived 200 thousand years ago

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