The mitochondria are specialized rod-shaped structures (organelles) found in most living cells. Depending on their specialized functions, cells may contain as few as five mitochondria or as much as 2000 of these organelles. They are often called the “powerhouse” of the cell because they convert oxygen and nutrients into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a form of chemical energy, which provides substrate to various metabolic processes within the cell. Only mitochondria can perform this function and when mitochondrial dysfunction occurs, normal cellular activities are disrupted. This may lead to cell death, accelerated aging process and development of chronic disease. Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Chronic Disease A rapidly developing science of mitochondrial medicine reveals that there are many conditions that arise from mitochondrial dysfunction. These mitochondrial cytopathies are due to the mitochondria's inability to completely convert food and oxygen to energy. According to the Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center, which specializes in mitochondrial disease research and treatments, more than 1 in 4,000 children born in the US yearly will develop a mitochondrial disease by the age of 10 years. One example is Leigh's syndrome, which is a severe neurological dirorder that affects infants. Other develop mitochondrial myopathies, which affect the muscles and nerves, before reaching their second decade of life. Among adults, mitochondrial dysfunction is often linked to age-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, and more. Research in mitochondrial disease dates back to the 1940s and the first diagnosis of a disorder related to mitochondrial dysfunction was in 1959. Research... ... middle of paper ... ...222–232. http://www.med.unc.edu/neurology/files/documents/child-teaching-pdf/Mitochondrial%20Review%20DiMaro%2005.pdf. Finsterer J. Hematological Manifestations of Primary Mitochondrial Disorders. Acta Haematol 2007;118:88–98. The Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center brochure. http://www.ucsdbglab.org/mmdc/brochure.htm Unlocking a Major Cause of Disease. http://drdanielclark.com/drdc/Mitochondria.html Marriage B, Clandinin MT, and Glerum DM.Nutritional cofactor treatment in mitochondrial disorders. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003;103:1029-1038. http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yjada/article/S0002-8223%2803%2900476-0/abstract. Walters A, Poter G, and Brookes P. Mitochondria as a Drug Target in Ischemic Heart Disease and Cardiomyopathy. Circulation Research. 2012; 111: 1222-1236. http://circres.ahajournals.org/content/111/9/1222.full
Retrieved on March 2014 from world wide web at http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-heart-attacks Wolf, Zane Robinson & Hughes, Ronda G (n.d.). Error Reporting and Disclosure. Retrieved on March 2014 from world wide web at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2652
Scriver, Charles R, Beaudet, Arthur L, Sly, William S, et al. (2001). The metabolic and molecular bases of inherited disease. 8th ed. London: McGraw-Hill. Pp 1634-1639.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy, also known as DMD, the most common type of muscular dystrophy, is caused by the incorrect information with the gene that generates a protein called dystrophin. The function of this protein is to help muscle cells keep their strength and shape. Without the presence of this protein, muscles begin to deteriorate and a person’s health becomes weaker. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of the types that affect boys, and symptoms of the disease begin to show between the ages of two and six. Most children with duchenne muscular dystrophy will require transportation by wheelchair by the age of ten or twelve. Patients with duchenne muscular dystrophy may experience heart c...
Four therapies have been described to decrease the muscle toxicity of doxorubicin. First, use of the iron chelator dexrazoxane decreases muscle toxicity (36, 89).Second, aerobic exercise has been shown to protect against doxorubicin induced skeletal muscle apoptosis through decreasing autophagy signaling (50, 84, 85). Third, the mitochondrial antioxidant SS31 protects against doxorubicin induced apoptosis (32). Fourth, pretreatment of metformin, an anti-diabetic drug, decreases cardiomyocyte apoptosis (7, 8). The interaction of doxorubicin and metformin will be discussed in greater detail in upcoming sections.
Muscular Dystrophy is a genetic disorder in which your muscles drastically weaken over time. Muscles are replaced with “connective tissue,” which is more of a fatty tissue than a muscular one. The connective tissue is the tissue that is commonly found in scars, and that same tissue is incapable of movement. Although Muscular Dystrophy affects muscles in general, other types affect certain groups of muscles, and happen at different periods throughout a lifetime. For example one of the most common types, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, targets muscles in the upper thigh and pelvis. The disease is displayed throughout early childhood, usually between ages four and seven. This genetic disorder occurs only in boys. People have difficulty sitting up or standing and lose their ability to walk in their early teens. Sadly most people die by the age of twenty. A second common type, Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy affects the same muscles as Duchenne, but first appears in teenage years. Most people with Becker’s only live into their forties (Fallon 1824-1825).
It is estimated that 1 out of every 5,600-7,700 boys ages 5-24 have Duchene or Becker muscular dystrophy. (“Data & Statistics,” 2012 April 6) Muscular dystrophy is a group of genetic diseases defined by muscle fibers that are unusually susceptible to damage. There are several different types of muscular dystrophy some of which shorten the affected person’s lifespan. (“Muscular dystrophy: Types and Causes of each form,” n.d.) There is a long history of the disorder but until recently there wasn’t much knowledge of the cause. (“Muscular Dystrophy: Hope through Research,” 16 April 2014) Symptoms are obvious and can be seen as soon as a child starts walking. (“Muscular Dystrophy,” 2012 January 19) Although muscular dystrophy mostly affects boys, girls can get it too. (“Muscular Dystrophy,” 2012 January 19) There is no cure for muscular dystrophy but there are several types of therapy and most types of muscular dystrophy are still fatal. (“Muscular Dystrophy: Hope through Research,” 16 April 2014)
...ses typically prevent mitochondria from converting food into energy and are the result of genetic abnormalities, although some cases can be caused by exposures to toxins. These diseases can also affect a child ability to see or hear. Many people are worried how this procedure will affect both the parents and children. But a researcher in Oregon, Shoukhrat Mitalipov, has performed the mitochondrial procedure in monkeys and has said that it is ready to be tried in people (Tavernisse, Sabrina). “Every time we get a little closer to genetic tinkering to promote health, that’s exciting and scary,” said Dr. Alan Copperman, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. “People are afraid it will turn into a dystopian brave new world.” Allowing the three parent baby plan will help create a healthier future.
Science has advanced tremendously in the last decade or so, specially in the field of cellular genetics. Even with such great advancements many scientists find that intracellular transport is a rather complex cellular process that requires parts such as a dynamic cytoskeleton, and molecular motor protein, which are myosin, kinesin, and dynein. In addition, intracellular transport involves the movement and selecting of vesicles and proteins to particular cellular regions. Sometimes intracellular transport happens over elongated distances, “like down the nerve axon” (Lodish). Occasionally this transport is simply the movement of a vesicle through the cell cortex. Transport also incorporates the suitable delivery and localization of organelles. The mitochondria serve as an example for such system of transportation within the organelles.
The mitochondria produces food for the cell by converting energy the cell needs. The mitochondria and the nucleus are two organelles within a cell that have many of the same similarities. Both organelles are made of two membranes. These layers isolate within the organelle all things considered, yet have protein channels that permit things to go in and out. Both contain DNA material that conveys qualities that encode for proteins. Both have qualities that make ribosomes, the machines that read the guidelines in RNA to make
...hromosome and the disease/disorder is passed down in an X linked recessive fashion. Symptoms include muscle weakening and wasting, and pain in the lower body. Mostly only the lower body’s muscles are affected causing the child to have to be confined to a wheelchair. The best way to diagnose Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is by doing a muscle biopsy to test for abnormal dystrophin levels. There is no treatment for the disease/disorder itself, but only for the symptoms of it. The average age of death in males with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the late thirty’s. Most deaths are caused by breathing complications or heart problems like cardiomyopathy. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy on average affects one in thirty five hundred male births worldwide. Overall, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is very hard to live with and affects many boys around the world.
Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, also known as psuedohypertrophic muscular dystrophy, is a typical sex-linked disorder in which the muscles degenerate throughout a person's life. It literally means "faulty nutrition of the muscles." Muscular Dystrophy has no cures, and this particular type of muscular dystrophy affects only males. One in 3,500 baby boys are born with this disorder and survival is rare beyond the early 30s, death is usually caused by a respiratory disease. (ygyh.org)
The mitochondria is an organelle which is generally an oval shape and is found inside the cytoplasm and is again apart of the eukaryotic cells. The main function of the mitochondria is to complete cellular respiration; in simple terms it acts like a digestive system to break down essential nutrients and to convert it into energy. This energy is usually found to in ATP which is a rich molecule taken from the energy stored in food. Furthermore, mitochondria stores calcium for signalling activities; such as heat, growth and death. They have two unique membranes and mitochondria isn’t found in human cells like the red blood cells yet liver and muscle cells are filled entirely with mitochondria.
Mitochondria are organelles in cells that provide energy, and they have their own DNA. Sometimes, mitochondrial DNA has mutations in it, causing rare, deadly, and incurable diseases. Women who have defective mitochondria can pass these diseases onto their children, but mitochondrial replacement therapy allows these women to have healthy babies that are free from mitochondrial disease.
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that plays an important role in DNA synthesis and nerve function. It is contained in high amounts in animal derived foods such as milk, eggs, and meat. The vitamin is stored in the liver long-term. Individuals with vegetarian, vegan, or other forms of restricted diet may develop the condition after approximately 6 months as liver stores of vitamin B12 become depleted. Some individuals develop the condition due to autoimmune destruction of cells in the stomach that produce intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is necessary for proper absorption of vitamin B12 in the small intestine.
Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. The human body is composed of trillions of cells. They provide structure for the body, take in nutrients from food, convert those nutrients into energy, and carry out specialized functions. But it also contains highly organized physical structures which are called intracellular organelles. These organelles are important for cellular function. For instance Mitochondria is the one of most important organelle of the cell. Without Mitochondria more than 95% of the cell’s energy, which release from nutrients would cease immediately [Guyton et al. 2007].