Many age-related diseases have a common feature: cell mitochondria begin to malfunction. Scientists of the Institute
Mitochondria are commonly called"power station" cells because these bean-shaped structures provide the units of energy needed for each cell to function. They are involved in many critical processes, including the immune response, inflammation and metabolism.
According to Zhou, mitochondrial dysfunction is associated withmost chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. A growing body of evidence indicates that this dysfunction contributes to aging in general.
In the current study, the team usedyeast as a model to test whether Tom70 regulates mitochondrial biogenesis by coordinating the complex balance between the production of proteins destined for the mitochondria and the rate at which these proteins can be delivered to the mitochondria. They found it to be. A similar regulatory function of Tom70 is also preserved in fruit flies.
The team went on to show that increasing the levelTom70 in yeast slows down the development of mitochondrial dysfunction and increases lifespan. This finding stems from the fact that increasing Tom70 levels may protect human cells from some chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, but the mechanistic details of why this occurs were unknown. “We discovered a new function for this protein and provided a mechanism for how Tom70 might benefit the cell,” – said the authors of the work.
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