The mechanisms by which cells are used to discover and remove organelles

Through research involving recombinant horse proteins, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered the mechanisms by which cells are used to discover and remove organelles. They are known as mitochondria. When these organelles are damaged, it can cause genetic problems such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory diseases and aging. Dr. Beth Levine, director of the UT Southwestern Automation Research Center and Dr. Beth Levine, a senior author of the study, said in a recent presentation that understanding how the process works may lead to new treatments to prevent certain diseases and even certain aspects of aging. The Autophagy Research Center is the only autophagy research center in the country.

Because mitochondria are high in energy, when they are damaged, toxic chemicals that release reactive oxygen species are released to the rest of the cell. Removal of damaged mitochondria by autophagy, known as mitochondrial autophagy, is important for cellular health. Researchers have noted that the discovery of tag proteins on the mitochondrial outer membrane - specifically the Parkin- proteins attached to these tags - explains cell degrading organelles, called autophagosomes, and it targets to pathological mitochondria.

In the study, the researchers found a protein present on the mitochondrial membrane prohibitin 2 (PHB2), but PHB2 was exposed to the damaged mitochondrial outer membrane. Once the cells break, the protein LC3 in the autophagy outside the role of monitoring, and LC3 will be attracted to the PHB2 protein. The LC3 protein then attaches to PHB2, and the autophagosome carries the damaged organelle to the lysosome - another organelle found in the cell, acting like a tiny stomach with enzymes that break down cell waste.

"This study found that PHB2 is critical for targeted mitochondrial autophagic degradation," said Dr. Levine, "Previous studies have linked the presence of PHB2 to the prevention of cancer, aging, neurodegeneration, and inflammation. Significantly, the key role of PHB2 is to help to get rid of damaged mitochondria in cells, playing a catalytic role."

The study also found that PHB2 is necessary to routinely remove the maternally-derived mitochondrial DNA from the developing embryo, leaving only maternal DNA from the mother. This is a work done in roundworms, but there is a recent study conducted in mice using a mouse model elsewhere suggesting that mitochondria are also used to remove paternal mitochondria in mammalian embryos," said Dr. Wu Chung, a postdoctoral fellow at UT Southwestern, the first author of the study.

"Typically, only maternal mitochondrial DNA is passed on to offspring," Dr. Levine said. For unknown reasons, the presence of paternal mitochondrial DNA predicts some genetic or health problems in the offspring. In another finding, the UTSW study showed that PHB2 is essential for the Parkin effect, although scientists are paying more attention to Parkin's role in supporting autophagic PHB2. Flarebio offers superior recombinant proteins including recombinant Cd44 at good prices.