Molecular 'scaffold' could hold key to new dementia treatments
Wednesday, June 4, 2014 - 06:13
in Biology & Nature
A molecular 'scaffold' that allows key parts of cells to interact appears to come apart in dementia and motor neuron disease, revealing a potential new target for drug discovery, researchers report. Researchers looked at two components of cells: mitochondria, and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). ER and mitochondria form close associations and these interactions enable a number of important cell functions. However the mechanism by which ER and mitochondria become linked has not, until now, been fully understood.