Mitochondria power eukaryotic cells to carry out their varied functions. However, these organelles themselves may also be more than they appear, providing scientists with continuous questions to ponder. From rethinking mitochondrial lingo and dogma to exploring the mechanisms behind their activity in cells, scientists continue to uncover new elements behind these cellular machines. Check out these recent stories highlighting new discoveries about mitochondria.
Mitochondria May Be Due for a Makeover
Many readers probably remember learning “mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell.” While these mighty organelles do produce much of the cellular energy source adenosine triphosphate (ATP), increasing research suggests that they play many more roles. In response to this, Martin Picard at Columbia University and Orian Shirihai at the University of California, Los Angeles called for new terminology to describe the functions and dysfunctions of mitochondria. However, others think that while a change is needed, it’s still too early to set anything in stone.
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Mitochondria: Not as Toxic as One May Think
As the mitochondrial lingo gets a makeover, so do some longstanding beliefs about this organelle. For example, Tobias Dansen and Daan van Soest at the University Medical Center Utrecht tackled the assumption that hydrogen peroxide produced by mitochondria caused DNA damage. Armed with inducible peroxide systems and fluorescent reporters, these scientists demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide produced at the mitochondria doesn’t adequately travel to the nucleus. The findings indicate that the story behind hydrogen peroxide and DNA damage is not so cut and dried.
Dive deeper into this topic in the full story.
Hold Still! Scaffolding Keeps Mitochondria in Place
Beyond challenging mitochondria dogma, researchers continue to explore questions around these mini machines. For example, keeping mitochondria in place is important to cell function, but how do cells with long protrusions like neurons ensure they have energy available from end to end? One group led by Vidhya Rangaraju at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience applied fluorescent reporters and proteomics to identify the specialized scaffolding that holds mitochondria still.
Explore this topic further in this article.
A Cellular Transport Service for Damaged Mitochondria
As important as keeping mitochondria in place is, it’s also important to let them go once they have fulfilled their use. Most of the time, this is a one-way trip to the lysosome. But how do cells get rid of mitochondria when that isn’t an option? In a candid interview, Åsa Gustafsson, a cellular and molecular biologist at the University of California, San Diego explained how her lab investigated this mechanism and the special delivery service cells use to ship off old mitochondria when regular disposal isn’t available.
Discover additional insights on this topic in this article.
Citizen Scientists Spot Mitochondria
While the field continues to decide how to explore and best describe the multifaceted nature of mitochondria, another research team is expanding their science beyond its lab members. As part of their work to characterize these mini energy machines in placentas, the team uploaded electron microscopy images of the organ and released them to the public to identify the organelles. The citizen science project, organized by researchers at the University of Southampton, the University of Manchester, and the Rosalind Franklin Institute, will help train computer models to perform these functions, which can answer questions about the role of mitochondrial health and pregnancy complications.
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As researchers delve more into the inner workings of mitochondria, more discoveries are imminent. Subscribe to The Scientist to stay up to date on the latest news in life sciences.
