The nucleus has long been seen as the ruler of the cell, packed full of genes that run the show. But the idea it has complete control is questioned by a new study suggesting mitochondria may be able to influence the nucleus.
Mitochondria are energy-generating structures found in the cells of complex organisms which possess their own much smaller genome. Changhan David Lee at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and his colleagues have found that in human cells this encodes an RNA that makes a peptide, a protein-like molecule, called MOTS-c. This peptide can move to the nucleus and influence genes there in response to cellular stress.
The origins of this ability may lay in the idea that mitochondria are descended from bacteria that were ingested by our cells at some point in our evolutionary history, forming a symbiotic relationship that required communication. “We think these mitochondrial-derived peptides, such as MOTS-c, are part of an ancient communication system that is still in play today,” says Lee.
Read the original full article – Tiny mitochondria may be controlling genes in heart of our cells
