Donate to Support a Study of Allotopic Expression for the COX2 Mitochondrial Gene

Mitochondria, hundreds to a cell, are evolved descendants of the ancient bacteria that became symbiotic with the first, primitive cells. Mitochondria still behave a great deal like bacteria, in that they fuse together, replicate, carry a small circular genome, the mitochondrial DNA and promiscuously swap component parts. While the primary role of mitochondria is the generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a chemical energy store used to power cell processes, they are also well integrated cellular components in a broader sense, influential in a range of fundamental cellular activities. Mitochondrial DNA is a lot smaller than it once was. Evolution has gradually shifted mitochondrial genes into the nuclear DNA resident in the cell nucleus, all except a handful of remaining genes. Arguably the thirteen genes that remain are those for which there is no easy path for evolutionary mechanisms to produce a move into the nucleus. Yet we would like to move those genes into the nucleus, as damage to mitochondrial DNA is likely a major contribution to degenerative aging. Mitochondrial DNA is less well protected and repaired than nuclear DNA, and mutations can lead to mitochondria that are both dysfunctional and able to outcompete their undamaged siblings. The cell suffers as a result. Having a backup copy of a mutated gene that can supply proteins from the nucleus would evade the consequences of damaged mitochondrial DNA. Finding ways to move the remaining mitochondrial...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Activism, Advocacy and Education Source Type: blogs