Unprecedented atlas explores mitochondria across the tree of life - Nature
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The protein catalogue gives a dynamic picture of the mitochondria, beyond what was known from humans and yeast. Credit: Dr David Furness/Keele University/SPLScientists have mapped in unprecedented detail the proteins that make up the mitochondria in six organisms — five single-celled parasites and one plant — spanning the eukaryotic tree of life. The findings, described in nine papers published in Cell, Cell Press Blue, Molecular Cell and Current Biology on 1 October1–9, reveal dozens of proteins that are not found in humans but are shared among parasites, including some that cause malaria or sleeping sickness. The findings might help scientists to devise new treatments for these illnesses. The work has also stirred a long-running debate about the origin of the mitochondrion. Cells are swapping their mitochondria. What does this mean for our health? Best known as the powerhouse of the eukaryotic cell because it produces energy, the mitochondrion has its own tiny DNA, which is distinct from that of the cell’s nucleus. But both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA encode the proteins that make up this organelle.
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