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A link between mitochondria and tumor formation in stem cells
October 13, 2008Researchers report on a previously unknown relationship between stem cell potency and the metabolic rate of their mitochondria -a cell's energy makers. Stem cells with more active mitochondria also have a greater capacity to differentiate and are more likely to form tumors.
These findings, appearing this week in JBC, could lead to methods of enriching the best stem cells from a population for therapeutic use and may provide some insights into the role of stem cells in cancer.
This study, conducted by Toren Finkel and colleagues at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHBLI), sorted mouse embryonic stem cells by their mitochondrial potential (the amount of voltage going across mitochondrial membranes, similar to how nerve activity is measured) and found that both visually and in the expression of key stem cell markers, low and high metabolism stem cells were indistinguishable.
Yet, when transplanted into mice, these two types of cells had contrasting properties, as cells with lower metabolic rates were more efficient at differentiating into other cell types while the highly metabolic cells were more prone to keep dividing and form teratomas, tumors characterized by having various tissue types mixed together.
The potential of stem cells to form teratomas remains a big obstacle in their clinical use, but these results may have at least uncovered the mechanism behind it. In fact, when Finkel and colleagues administered the mitochondrial inhibitor rapamycin to high metabolism stem cells, their teratoma capacity decreased significantly.
While this work was done with mouse cells, the researchers believe a similar relationship holds true in human stem cells. Thus, developing methods to remove highly metabolic stem cells from a population could improve their safety.
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Yet, when transplanted into mice, these two types of cells had contrasting properties, as cells with lower metabolic rates were more efficient at differentiating into other cell types while the highly metabolic cells were more prone to keep dividing and form teratomas, tumors characterized by having various tissue types mixed together.
The potential of stem cells to form teratomas remains a big obstacle in their clinical use, but these results may have at least uncovered the mechanism behind it. In fact, when Finkel and colleagues administered the mitochondrial inhibitor rapamycin to high metabolism stem cells, their teratoma capacity decreased significantly.
While this work was done with mouse cells, the researchers believe a similar relationship holds true in human stem cells. Thus, developing methods to remove highly metabolic stem cells from a population could improve their safety.
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Mitochondria Current Events and Mitochondria News RSSResearch reveals lipids' unexpected role in triggering death of brain cells
The lipid that accumulates in brain cells of individuals with an inherited enzyme disorder also drives the cell death that is a hallmark of the disease, according to new research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators.
Funny, you don't look related
When Charles Darwin visited the Falkland Islands during the voyage of the Beagle in 1835, he saw a wolf-like species, wrote about it in his diaries and correctly commented that it was being hunted in such large numbers that it would soon become extinct.
'Escaped' proteins add to hearing loss in elderly, UF researchers find
Age-related hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder among the elderly. But scientists are still trying to figure out what cellular processes govern or contribute to the loss.
Reduced muscle strength associated with risk for Alzheimer's
Individuals with weaker muscles appear to have a higher risk for Alzheimer's disease and declines in cognitive function over time, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Hydrogen Peroxide's Link to Living Cells
If a circadian rhythm is like an orchestra - the united expression of the rhythms of millions of cells - a common chemical may serve as the conductor, or at least as the baton.
Developmental drug may help bone fractures heal after radiation exposure
A drug currently under development by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine may help bone fractures heal more quickly after radiation exposure, according to a study by Pitt researchers.
Chemosensitivity of cancer cells depends on their protein dependency
Two different anti-apoptotic proteins support cancer cell survival via an identical mechanism, yet differ in their sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs, report Brunelle et al. The study will be published online October 26, 2009 and in the November 2, 2009 print issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (JCB).
Too much of a good thing? Scientists explain cellular effects of vitamin A overdose and deficiency
If a little vitamin A is good, more must be better, right? Wrong! New research published online in the FASEB Journal shows that vitamin A plays a crucial role in energy production within cells, explaining why too much or too little has a complex negative effect on our bodies.
How mitochondrial gene defects impair respiration, other major life functions
Researchers are delving into abnormal gene function in mitochondria, structures within cells that power our lives. Mitochondria are the place where energy is generated from the most basic molecules of food. Because this function is essential to life, defects in mitochondria may affect a wide range of organ systems in humans and animals.
Can an over-the-counter vitamin-like substance slow the progression of Parkinson's disease?
Rush University Medical Center is participating in a large-scale, multi-center clinical trial in the U.S. and Canada to determine whether a vitamin-like substance, in high doses, can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects about one million people in the United States.
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Mitochondria by Immo E. Scheffler (Author) "This volume inspires. It certainly will be much appreciated by cell biologists all over the world." Quarterly Review of Biology, March 2009 This book is the eagerly awaited second edition of the best-selling Mitochondria, a book widely acknowledged as the first modern, truly comprehensive authored work on the important, scientifically fundamental topic of the cellular organelles known as mitochondria. This new edition brings readers completely up to date on the many significant findings that have occurred in the eight years since the book was first published. As in that seminal first edition, the second edition tackles the biochemistry, genetics, and pathology of mitochondria in different organisms. The new edition provides thorough updates of all literature... |
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Nutri-West - TOTAL MITOCHONDRIA - 90 by Nutri-West |
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Source Naturals Acetyl L-Carnitine, 250 mg, Tablets, 120 tablets by Source Naturals Dietary supplement. Acetyl L-Carnitine is an amino acid-like compound that is related to choline and may assist in the conversion of choline into acetylcholine. Acetylcholine, one of the body's key neurotransmitters, chemically transmits messages from one nerve cell to another (These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease). Suitable for vegetarians. Contains no yeast, dairy, egg, gluten, soy or wheat. Contains no sugar, starch, salt, preservatives or artificial color, flavor, or fragrance. |
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Mitochondria Ignite™ with NT Factor® (675 mg, 90 medium Tablets) by ProHealth, Inc. Are Your Cells Stressed Out ? Give Them the Nutrition They Need Fatigue is one of the first outward signs of cellular deterioration. When a cell membrane deteriorates, it loses its fluidity, which is the ability to absorb critical nutrients into the cell for optimal health and energy production. Numerous factors exert damaging stress on your cells every day. Researchers have found that key lipids are able to improve and maintain the fluidity of cell membranes resulting in effective absorption of nutrients, which leads to increased energy production. Delivering intact phospholipids is a unique advanced nutritional technology that helps rejuvenate stressed out cells by transporting key vitamins, critical phospholipids, and essential fatty acids into cells, and particularly into... |
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