Researchers use artificial membranes to show how a particular protein reaches the mitochondria
Mitochondria serve as the powerhouses of the cell, converting the energy stored in foods into a form cells can use. When this important task fails, it can result in numerous diseases, particularly those affecting organs with a high energy consumption like the brain or the heart. The Freiburg biochemistry professor Chris Meisinger, the Freiburg molecular medicine researcher Dr. Nora Vögtle, and the Freiburg pharmaceutical scientists Dr. Martin Holzer and Dr. Michael Keller have discovered a new import pathway proteins use to reach the mitochondria. The common assumption among researchers up until now has been that proteins are always transported into the mitochondria via so-called import machines. The newly discovered import pathway, by contrast, is independent of the import machines. The research team published the study in the Journal of Cell Biology.