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Few clues about African ancestry to be found in mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA may not hold the key to your origins after all. A study published today in the open access journal BMC Biology reveals that fewer than 10% of African American mitochondrial DNA sequences analysed can be matched to mitochondrial DNA from one single African ethnic group.   view more (2006-10-12)

Reduced mitochondrial function important mechanism in aging
Scientists at the Karolinska Institute have found that changes in the "powerhouse" of cells, the mitochondria, play a key role in aging. The findings are being published in this week's issue of the journal Nature. Mitochondria, which provide energy to cells, have their own set of DNA. Mutations of mitochondrial DNA increase with age,... view more... (2004-05-27)

Mothers transmit DNA through daughters only
Scientists have argued whether or not the often-studied mitochondrial DNA molecule is clonally inherited. It is with assuming clonal inheritance this type of DNA has been used to track the origin of modern human as well as to draw pictures of genetic relationships among other animals and plants. The conflict has now been solved by two evolutionary... view more... (2001-09-06)

New clues about mitochondrial 'growth spurts'
Mitochondria are restless, continually merging and splitting. But contrary to conventional wisdom, the size of these organelles depends on more than fusion and fission, as Berman et al. show. Mitochondrial growth and degradation are also part of the equation.   view more (2009-03-02)

New findings shed light to the mechanisms of Parkinson's disease
The findings of Finnish scientists with their multinational collaborators shed light to the mechanisms of Parkinson's disease and early menopause.   view more (2004-09-07)

Mitochondrial genes move to the nucleus
Why mitochondrial genes ditch their cushy haploid environs to take up residence in a large and chaotic nucleus has long stumped evolutionary biologists, but Indiana University Bloomington scientists report in this week's Science that they've uncovered an important clue in flowering plants.   view more (2007-03-23)

Large reservoir of mitochondrial DNA mutations identified in humans
Researchers at the University of Newcastle, England, and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech in the United States have revealed a large reservoir of mitochondrial DNA mutations present in the general population.   view more (2008-08-12)

PINK1 protects from Parkinson's
Parkinson disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by the selective loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons.   view more (2007-06-19)

The fight against obesity -- a new insight
With obesity still on the increase, it appears that the main weapon in the fight against it - reducing energy consumption by eating less - is ineffective.   view more (2008-03-12)

Key protein in cellular respiration discovered
Many diseases derive from problems with cellular respiration, the process through which cells extract energy from nutrients. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now discovered a new function for a protein in the mitochondrion - popularly called the cell's power station - that plays a key part in cell respiration.   view more (2009-04-08)

Neurological disorder in golden retriever dogs caused by a mutation in mitochondrial DNA
Sensory ataxic neuropathy (SAN) is a recently identified neurological disorder in Golden Retriever dogs with onset during puppyhood.   view more (2009-05-29)

Scientists show that mitochondrial DNA variants are linked to risk factors for type 2 diabetes
Today, researchers report for the first time that genetic variants in mitochondria-energy-producing structures harboring DNA that are inherited only from the mother-are directly linked to metabolic markers for type 2 diabetes.   view more (2007-08-13)

New research helps explain genetics of Parkinson's disease
A new study by Narendra et al. suggests that Parkin, the product of the Parkinson's disease-related gene Park2, prompts neuronal survival by clearing the cell of its damaged mitochondria.   view more (2008-11-24)

Back to the future: Mastodon extends the time limit on DNA sequencing
In a new paper in the open access journal PLoS Biology, Michael Hofreiter from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, and colleagues from Switzerland and the United States, announce the sequencing of the complete mitochondrial genome of the mastodon (Mammut americanum), a recently extinct relative of the living... view more... (2007-07-24)

Stress signals link pre-existing sickness with susceptibility to bacterial infection
Mitochondrial diseases disrupt the power generating machinery within cells and increase a person's susceptibility to bacterial infection, particularly in the lungs or respiratory tract.   view more (2009-07-28)

New research may lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis in families
Mayo Clinic researchers have found that first-degree relatives (i.e., parents, siblings, children) of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) are more likely to have the biomarker of the disease in their blood.   view more (2007-09-11)

A link between mitochondria and tumor formation in stem cells
Researchers 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.   view more (2008-10-13)

Bad mitochondria may actually be good for you
Mice with a defective mitochondrial protein called MCLK1 produce elevated amounts of reactive oxygen when young; that should spell disaster, yet according to a study in this week's JBC these mice actually age at a slower rate and live longer than normal mice.   view more (2009-07-23)

Kids with autism may have gene that causes muscle weakness
Some kids with autism may have a genetic defect that affects the muscles, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 12-19, 2008.   view more (2008-04-14)

Cell's 'power plant' genes raise vision disorder risk
Genetic variation in the DNA of mitochondria - the "power plants" of cells - contributes to a person's risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Vanderbilt investigators report May 7 in the journal PLoS ONE.   view more (2008-05-07)
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