Mij
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
A small molecule improves the fitness of cells containing diseased mitochondria
Abstract
The biochemistry inside cells is highly dynamic and can rapidly adjust to environmental or intracellular perturbations. Many of these disturbances trigger responses that collectively improve cell resilience and fitness (1). Stress responses are an attractive therapeutic target because insufficient or excessive stress signaling is associated with diseases ranging from neurodegenerative disorders to cancer (2). On page 509 of this issue, Chandrasekhar et al. (3) report the discovery of a small molecule that unleashes the activity of an enzyme (a ubiquitin ligase) at the apex of a stress response that is normally triggered by perturbations to mitochondrial homeostasis.
The molecule is beneficial to cells that model human disease-linked disruptions in genes important for the energy-producing mitochondrial electron transport chain, providing a potential avenue for therapies in complex disorders.
STUDY
Abstract
The biochemistry inside cells is highly dynamic and can rapidly adjust to environmental or intracellular perturbations. Many of these disturbances trigger responses that collectively improve cell resilience and fitness (1). Stress responses are an attractive therapeutic target because insufficient or excessive stress signaling is associated with diseases ranging from neurodegenerative disorders to cancer (2). On page 509 of this issue, Chandrasekhar et al. (3) report the discovery of a small molecule that unleashes the activity of an enzyme (a ubiquitin ligase) at the apex of a stress response that is normally triggered by perturbations to mitochondrial homeostasis.
The molecule is beneficial to cells that model human disease-linked disruptions in genes important for the energy-producing mitochondrial electron transport chain, providing a potential avenue for therapies in complex disorders.
STUDY