Researchers have shown that genetically engineered mitochondria can convert light energy into chemical energy that cells can use to sustain longer.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jan 4, 2023 14:03 IST
Mitochondria are organelles found in most cells. (Photo: Getty)
By India Today Web Desk: While humans continue to fight diseases and outbreaks, they can not yet prolong their lives. The science behind that remains not just complicated but farfetched. But a new study has shown a glimmer of hope that could, in a distant future, enable the human species to tingle with the process of aging.
Researchers have shown that genetically engineered mitochondria can convert light energy into chemical energy that cells can use to sustain themselves. They found it happening in roundworm C. elegans indicating that further study could enable new ways to treat age-related diseases and age healthily.
The findings published in the journal Nature, state that while mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role in aging, the exact biological causes are still being determined. Mitochondria are organelles found in most cells in the body and are referred to as cellular power plants.
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“We show that optogenetically increasing mitochondrial membrane potential during adulthood using a light-activated proton pump improves age-associated phenotypes and extends lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans,” the researchers said in the paper.
They genetically engineered C. elegans mitochondria. (Photo: Getty)
The study conducted by researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center and the University of Washington involved C. elegans, a microscopic roundworm that – like the fruit fly Drosophila – has long been a research tool used by scientists to understand basic biological principles. The team used optogenetics, a research tool that uses light to control biological processes within cells.
They genetically engineered C. elegans mitochondria to include a light-activated proton pump obtained from a fungus, which when exposed to light, moved charged ions across the membrane, using the energy from the light to charge the mitochondria. This process, which the researchers dubbed mitochondria-ON (mtON), increased membrane potential and ATP production, and resulted in a 30-40 percent increase in the lifespan of the roundworms.
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“We know that mitochondrial dysfunction is a consequence of aging. This study found that simply boosting metabolism using light-powered mitochondria gave laboratory worms longer, healthier lives. These findings and new research tools will enable us to further study mitochondria and identify new ways to treat age-related diseases and age healthier,” Andrew Wojtovich, senior author of the study, said in a statement.
The study provides researchers with more insight into the complex biological roles …….