PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Zen and the art of mitochondrial maintenance: The machinery of death makes a healthier life

2023-11-08
(Press-News.org) While we all aspire for a long lifespan, what is most coveted is a long period of vigor and health, or “healthspan,” that precedes the inevitable decline of advancing age. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have discovered that instruments of death that cells use to commit suicide when things go wrong contribute to making a longer and healthier life by revitalizing the specialized cellular compartments called mitochondria.

Mitochondria generate the energy for all of our activities, from movement to thought. These power plants inside our cells descended from what were once free-living bacteria.

“We are a sort of hybrid creature that arose from two independent evolutionary lineages: mitochondria, which were once bacteria, and the rest of the cell surrounding them,” notes Joel Rothman, a professor of molecular biology whose lab conducted the research.

This dual evolutionary origin means that our DNA resides in two separate compartments in each of our cells: the nucleus, where most of our genome is located, and the mitochondria with their own DNA, as a remnant of their bacterial provenance.

“As we age, damage to the DNA in these cellular power houses accumulates, contributing to age-related decline,” notes Rothman. “Our discovery reveals a way that defective mitochondria are removed, resulting in rejuvenation of cells.”

The research, recently published in the journal eLife, shows that the biological machinery that functions as a “kill switch” for cells that are potentially harmful, for example those becoming cancerous, also eliminate the defective DNAs of mitochondria.

 “There is a Yin and Yang to mitochondria,” said Pradeep Joshi, a senior scientist and co-author on the publication. “They produce the energy that sustains life. But with every breath, mitochondria also produce reactive oxygen species, harmful molecules that damage DNA and other parts of our cells.”

Thus, the longer we live, the more damage that occurs. This damage diminishes energy production by mitochondria, with negative consequences for our healthspan. As the heart, muscles, and brain demand the most from this energy supply, aging is inevitably associated with heart failure, loss of muscle function, and dementia.

According to Joshi, “aging can be considered a sort of mitochondrial disease. If we could clear out mitochondrial damage, we would improve healthspan and longevity.”

The research team discovered a system for clearing out damaged mitochondria by using a diminutive worm called C. elegans, renowned for many advances in biomedicine, including those recognized by six Nobel prizes.

The researchers found that enzymes responsible for killing cells are also required to remove damaged mitochondrial DNA. In the absence of these enzymes, defective mitochondria pile up.

Rothman and coworkers were surprised to find that, although some of the same proteins are involved, the overall process of removing the damaged mitochondria is different from that normally used to remove excess cells. “The machinery for cell death appears to be repurposed to clear out bad mitochondria,” observed Joshi. “By doing so, they restore the health to these vital power houses.”

As a human, you inherited your mitochondrial DNA exclusively from your mother and the same is true for the animals used in the study. The scientists discovered that the burden of defective mitochondria in mothers increases with age. “Unfortunately, the bad mitochondria that build up in mothers as they get older is passed down to their children,” Rothman said.

However, the good news is that it was possible to reduce both accumulation and inheritance of the defective mitochondria: the researchers found that a single gene change that makes the animals age more slowly and that extends their lifespan mitigates these problems.

“Slowing the ‘aging clock’ appears to cause defective mitochondria to accumulate more slowly, raising the possibility that anti-aging interventions could result in healthier mitochondria,” noted Rothman, who is also the founding Director of the Center for Aging and Longevity at UCSB. The research was funded in part by the National Institute on Aging.

These discoveries point to future strategies for removing debilitated mitochondria and rejuvenating cells, paving the way toward additional years of vibrant, disease-free life for all of us to enjoy.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

MPFI researcher awarded $1.2 Million from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

MPFI researcher awarded $1.2 Million from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
2023-11-08
Dr. Vidhya Rangaraju has been named a recipient of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s “Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award,” which will provide her lab with $1.2 million over four years to study dysfunctions of brain energy supply.  Dr. Rangaraju is a Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI). With this award, her lab will investigate the causes of disrupted energy supply in neurons that lead to cognitive decline in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  ...

With new grant, RPI works to shrink microchips, expand semiconductor workforce

2023-11-08
Transistors — the tiny on-off switches inside microchips — have gotten smaller and smaller over the years, increasing computing power and enabling smaller devices. During that time, the copper wires that connect these switches have likewise shrunk. However, smaller, thinner wires create a big problem, said Daniel Gall, professor of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “The job of the wire is to conduct electrons — electricity. Imagine a wire as a crowded hallway that the electrons have to get through. The narrower the hallway, the more the electrons bump into things and scatter. We call that resistance,” Gall ...

Single gene controls Corn Belt weed's resistance to soil-applied herbicide

Single gene controls Corn Belt weeds resistance to soil-applied herbicide
2023-11-08
URBANA, Ill. — Waterhemp, the aggressive weed threatening Corn Belt crop production, is throwing curveballs once again, according to researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The weed has famously developed resistance to not one or two, but seven herbicide sites-of-action classes, nearly exhausting the chemical tools farmers can use to defend their livelihood. In a new Weed Science study, U. of I. researchers show that a single major gene is responsible for waterhemp’s resistance to S-metolachlor ...

Your education and income level may affect your survival, recovery from stroke

2023-11-08
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023 MINNEAPOLIS – People with low education and income levels may have a 10% increased risk of death or being dependent on others to complete daily tasks three months after a stroke compared to people with high education and income levels, according to new research published in the November 8, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that low education and income cause worse outcomes after stroke. It only shows an association. “Compared ...

For epilepsy, yoga may be good for your mind

2023-11-08
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023 MINNEAPOLIS –  For people with epilepsy, doing yoga may help reduce feelings of stigma about the disease along with reducing seizure frequency and anxiety, according to new research published in the November 8, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “People with epilepsy often face stigma that can cause them to feel different than others due to their own health condition and that can have a significant impact on their quality of life,” said study author ...

Increasing workplace flexibility associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease

2023-11-08
Embargoed for release: Wednesday, November 8, 4:00 PM ET Key points: In a randomized trial of the cardiometabolic impacts of workplace interventions designed to reduce work-family conflict, older employees and those at baseline higher risk for cardiometabolic disease saw their risk of developing cardiovascular disease decrease equivalent to five to 10 years of age-related cardiometabolic changes. The study is among the first to assess whether changes to the work environment can affect cardiometabolic risk. Boston, MA—Increasing workplace flexibility may lower employees’ risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new ...

New interactive evidence-based mapping tool gives policymakers more insight into highly concentrated cannabis products

2023-11-08
After conducting the first scoping review of its kind, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have developed an evidence based interactive mapping tool to assist policymakers as they consider regulating the concentration of THC in cannabis products and as more potent products move into the marketplace. Their review, funded by the State of Colorado, was released today in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH).    “We looked at studies that measured adverse or beneficial effects of high concentration ...

Independent monitoring of the WHO pandemic agreement is non-negotiable, experts say

2023-11-08
An accountability framework, including independent monitoring of state compliance, is critical for the pandemic agreement's success, according to researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and affiliates at Spark Street Advisors. The paper and findings are published in BMJ Global Health. “Countries signing up to a pandemic agreement is no guarantee of its effective implementation,” said Nina Schwalbe, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Population and Family Health and principal visiting fellow at Columbia Mailman School. “Countries' lack of compliance with ...

NASA’s Webb findings support long-proposed process of planet formation

NASA’s Webb findings support long-proposed process of planet formation
2023-11-08
Scientists using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope just made a breakthrough discovery in revealing how planets are made. By observing water vapor in protoplanetary disks, Webb confirmed a physical process involving the drifting of ice-coated solids from the outer regions of the disk into the rocky-planet zone. Theories have long proposed that icy pebbles forming in the cold, outer regions of protoplanetary disks — the same area where comets originate in our solar system — should be the fundamental seeds of planet formation. The main requirement of these theories is that pebbles should drift inward toward the star due to friction in the gaseous disk, ...

UTIA faculty member serves as editor of the Journal of Food Distribution Research

UTIA faculty member serves as editor of the Journal of Food Distribution Research
2023-11-08
Carlos Trejo-Pech, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, is a newly appointed editor of the Journal of Food Distribution Research. “It is a great honor and big responsibility to serve as a journal editor of a publication outlet in the agricultural economics and agribusiness discipline,” said Trejo-Pech. “We, the editors, are committed to disseminating the results of high-quality research.” The journal was established in 1969 under the auspices of the Food Distribution Research Society, the only body of scholars and practitioners in the United States dedicated ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

CMD-OPT model enables the discovery of a potent and selective RIPK2 inhibitor as preclinical candidate for the treatment of acute liver injury

Melatonin receptor 1a alleviates sleep fragmentation-aggravated testicular injury in T2DM by suppression of TAB1/TAK1 complex through FGFR1

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals Shen-Bai-Jie-Du decoction retards colorectal tumorigenesis by regulating the TMEM131–TNF signaling pathway-mediated differentiation of immunosuppressive dendritic ce

Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B Volume 15, Issue 7 Publishes

New research expands laser technology

Targeted radiation offers promise in patients with metastasized small cell lung cancer to the brain

A high clinically translatable strategy to anti-aging using hyaluronic acid and silk fibroin co-crosslinked hydrogels as dermal regenerative fillers

Mount Sinai researchers uncover differences in how males and females change their mind when reflecting on past mistakes

CTE and normal aging are difficult to distinguish, new study finds

Molecular arms race: How the genome defends itself against internal enemies

Tiny chip speeds up antibody mapping for faster vaccine design

KTU experts reveal why cultural heritage is important for community unity

More misfolded proteins than previously known may contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia

“Too much going on”: Autistic adults overwhelmed by non-verbal social cues

What’s driving America’s deep freezes in a warming world?

A key role of brain protein in learning and memory is deciphered by scientists

Heart attacks don’t follow a Hollywood script

Erin M. Schuman wins 2026 Nakasone Award for discovery on neural synapse function and change during formation of memories

Global ocean analysis could replace costly in-situ sound speed profiles in seafloor positioning, study finds

Power in numbers: Small group professional coaching reduces rates of physician burnout by nearly 30%

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage: A comprehensive review of CCUS-EOR

New high-temperature stable dispersed particle gel for enhanced profile control in CCUS applications

State gun laws and firearm-related homicides and suicides

Use of tobacco and cannabis following state-level cannabis legalization

Long-term obesity and biological aging in young adults

Eindhoven University of Technology and JMIR Publications announce unlimited open access publishing agreement

Orphan nuclear receptors in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease development

A technological breakthrough for ultra-fast and greener AI

Pusan National University researchers identify key barriers hindering data-driven smart manufacturing adoption

Inking heterometallic nanosheets: A scalable breakthrough for coating, electronics, and electrocatalyst applications

[Press-News.org] Zen and the art of mitochondrial maintenance: The machinery of death makes a healthier life