Biological complexity: mitochondrial cell differentiation (Introduction)

by dhw, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11:02 (2072 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Mitochondria actually have control over several types of cell differentiation:

https://www.quantamagazine.org/shape-shifting-mitochondria-direct-stem-cells-fate-20190...

QUOTE: In 2016, Slack, Khacho and their colleagues reported the first evidence that mitochondrial shape-shifting is a key regulator of neural stem cell fate, the decision to self-renew or differentiate.

QUOTE: The real significance of Slack and Khacho’s work in neural stem cells might be that the mitochondria’s role in neurogenesis relates to something more dynamic than shape alone. According to Khacho, it’s likely that what matters isn’t the organelles’ form in a cell at a given moment, but rather their ability to morph through fission and fusion. Fission and fusion are happening all the time, and so far, scientists have only been looking at snapshots of this process. “Perhaps it’s the plasticity, the ability to change,” Khacho said. “That’s the important thing.”

Thank you for a whole raft of interesting articles. I found this one particularly stimulating, although as always I have difficulty coping with the technical details. The quotes once again highlight the importance of stem cells in the whole process of evolution, and perhaps the key question is what actually makes the “decision to self-renew or differentiate”.