mitochondria
Feet first? Old mitochondria might be responsible for neuropathy in the extremities
The burning, tingling pain of neuropathy may affect feet and hands before other body parts because the powerhouses of nerve cells that supply the extremities age and become dysfunctional as they complete the long journey to these areas, Johns Hopkin…
Nitrate improves mitochondrial function
The spinach-eating cartoon character Popeye has much to teach us, new research from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows. The muscles’ cellular power plants — the mitochondria — are boosted by nitrate, a substance found in …
Cell death pathway linked to mitochondrial fusion
New research led by UC Davis scientists provides insight into why some body organs are more susceptible to cell death than others and could eventually lead to advances in treating or preventing heart attack or stroke.
In a paper published Jan. 21 …
Extracting cellular ‘engines’ may aid in understanding mitochondrial diseases
Medical researchers who crave a means of exploring the genetic culprits behind a host of neuromuscular disorders may have just had their wish granted by a team working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where scienti…
Scientists at IRB Barcelona discover a new protein critical for mitochondria
A study by the team headed by Lluís Ribas de Pouplana, ICREA professor at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), has been chosen as “Paper of the week” in the December issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, which is a…
‘Reaper’ protein strikes at mitochondria to kill cells
Our cells live ever on the verge of suicide, requiring the close attention of a team of molecules to prevent the cells from pulling the trigger. This self-destructive tendency can be a very good thing, as when dangerous precancerous cells are permit…
Early role of mitochondria in AD may help explain limitations to current beta amyloid hypothesis
(NEW YORK, NY, October 13, 2010) — Before Alzheimer’s patients experience memory loss, the brain’s neurons have already suffered harm for years.
A new study in mouse models by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center has found that …
Alzheimer's protein jams mitochondria; resulting 'energy crisis' kills neurons
Opening a new front in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have found that a protein long associated with the disease inflicts grave damage in a previously unimagined way: It seals off mitochondria in affected neurons, resulting in an “energy crisis” and buildup of toxins that causes cells to die. This pathway, the first specific biochemical explanation for pathologies associated with Alzheimer’s, is detailed in the April 14 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology.
