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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Axel Kowald, Emeritus Professor Thomas Kirkwood
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Mitochondria are organelles of eukaryotic cells that contain their own genetic material and evolved from prokaryotic ancestors some 2 billion years ago. They are the main source of the cell's energy supply and are involved in such important processes as apoptosis, mitochondrial diseases, and aging. During recent years it also became apparent that mitochondria display a complex dynamical behavior of fission and fusion, the function of which is as yet unknown. In this paper we develop a concise theory that explains why fusion and fission have evolved, how these processes are related to the accumulation of mitochondrial mutants during aging, why the mitochondrial DNA has to be located close to the respiration complexes where most radicals are generated, and what selection pressures shaped the slightly different structure of animal and plant mitochondria. We believe that this "organelle control" theory will help in understanding key processes involved in the evolution of the mitochondrial genome and the aging process.
Author(s): Kowald A, Kirkwood TBL
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Year: 2011
Volume: 108
Issue: 25
Pages: 10237-10242
Print publication date: 21/06/2011
ISSN (print): 0027-8424
ISSN (electronic): 1091-6490
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1101604108
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1101604108
PubMed id: 21646529
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