Mitochondria Dump Their Rubbish DNA, And It Could Be Costing Us Our Health
Researchers have discovered a key molecular process that may contribute to chronic inflammation as we age. If this process can be accurately targeted, it could unlock ways to stay healthier in our later years.
The discovery centers on the unique strands of DNA contained within our mitochondria, the power stations of our cells. By banishing their 'mtDNA' into the surrounding cytoplasm, mitochondria can cause inflammation. Yet just how or why this happens has never been well understood.
In this study, researchers led by a team from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Germany analyzed tissue samples from humans and test animals, using mice genetically engineered to be models of aging and disease.
Researchers have discovered a key molecular process that may contribute to chronic inflammation as we age. If this process can be accurately targeted, it could unlock ways to stay healthier in our later years.
The discovery centers on the unique strands of DNA contained within our mitochondria, the power stations of our cells. By banishing their 'mtDNA' into the surrounding cytoplasm, mitochondria can cause inflammation. Yet just how or why this happens has never been well understood.
In this study, researchers led by a team from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Germany analyzed tissue samples from humans and test animals, using mice genetically engineered to be models of aging and disease.
Past research has shown that deoxyribonucleotides become less abundant as we grow older, meaning there are fewer genetic building blocks in older cells and in tissues that are senescent, or effectively retired from active duty.
This latest investigation reveals that a lack of these building blocks causes mtDNA to pick up ribonucleotides instead, which may explain why mitochondria reject 'imperfect' copies of this molecule.
That rejection is potentially one of the key drivers behind the inflammation that comes with old age, and the negative health consequences associated with it – from certain types of cancer to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.