Evolution of mitochondria
Mitochondria are the power stations of human cells. They provide the energy needed for the cellular metabolism. But how did these power stations evolve, and how are they constructed? Researchers from the University of Freiburg studied the role of so-called oxidase assembly machinery, or OXA, in the development of the inner membrane of mitochondria and the energy supply of cells. Dr. Jan Höpker, Dr. Silke Oeljeklaus, Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Pfanner, Dr. Sebastian Stiller, Prof. Dr. Bettina Warscheid, Prof. Dr. Nils Wiedemann and their team of researchers have demonstrated that this protein complex is essential for the integration of certain proteins into the inner membrane of mitochondria - proteins that play a role in cellular respiration and other processes. The results of the scientists' research have now been published in the journal Cell Metabolism.