SENS Research Foundation Scientists Plan their First Mouse Studies for Allotopic Expression of Mitochondrial Genes

I notice that the lead researcher on the MitoSENS program at the SENS Research Foundation recently gave an interview at Longecity. This work is focused on the prevention of the mitochondrial contribution to degenerative aging, and has been underway for some years. A separate update at the Life Extension Advocacy Foundation, where a crowdfunding event for MitoSENS was organized back in 2015, notes that progress in this work has continued quietly since the last big announcement, and a transition from cell studies to the first mouse studies for that team lies ahead. Mitochondria are the power plants of the cell, the descendants of ancient symbiotic bacteria. They retain a tiny remnant of the original bacterial genome, encoding thirteen genes essential to mitochondrial function. Most of the other genes moved to the cell nucleus over the course of evolutionary time, as mitochondria became ever more integrated as cellular components. Unfortunately mitochondrial DNA is more vulnerable to damage than nuclear DNA, and some forms of damage can produce malfunctioning mitochondria, faulty because they lack the essential proteins produced by now broken genes. These errant mitochondria can quickly overtake a cell, crowding out their undamaged peers. That cell then becomes a dysfunctional exporter of harmful oxidative molecules, an outcome that contributes to a range of age-related conditions. Oxidized lipids, for example, contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis. The ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Healthy Life Extension Community Source Type: blogs