New technique allows scientists to measure mitochondrial respiration in frozen tissue

FINDINGSScientists led by Dr. Orian Shirihai, director of themetabolism theme at theDavidGeffen School of Medicine at UCLA,have developed a method for restoring oxygen-consumption activity to previously frozen mitochondria samples, even years after they have been collected. The process of freezing and thawing mitochondria depresses their oxygen consumption and, until now, has hindered researchers ’ ability to accurately carry out large-scale studies examining the crucial role of mitochondria in both health and disease.BACKGROUNDThe mitochondria in our cells consume 90% of the oxygen we breathe and use that oxygen to convert nutrients into energy for a variety of cellular functions through a chemical process known as respiration. When mitochondria fail to supply enough energy to the cell, it can cause a host of genetic disorders, including muscular and neurological diseases, as well as secondary metabolic disorders such as diabetes and Parkinson ’s disease.For decades, scientists studying mitochondrial respiration have had to isolate mitochondria within 30 minutes of collection from fresh tissue and run respirometry tests on them the same day, making side-by-side comparisons impractical and prone to errors. Alternatively, samples can be frozen and stored for testing later. But because the freezing-and-thawing process damages mitochondrial membranes and affects respiration, this approach has also restricted scientists ’ ability to accurately assess mitochondrial functionÂ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news