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Power Off

Manipulating mitochondria with far red light to reveal effects of damage on neurons

06 June 2020

Power Off

Mitochondria are tiny biological power stations that supply our cells with a steady stream of usable energy. Diseases affecting mitochondria can have a huge effect on the health of power hungry muscle and nerve cells (neurons), among others. To understand how defunct mitochondria contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, researchers looked to the zebrafish – a model organism whose genes can be modified in a lab. Here they alter mitochondrial genes in a zebrafish neuron (left) so that a blast of far-red light sets off a damaging chain reaction, leaving the mitochondria (highlighted in green) shrivelled compared to those in similar healthy cells (right). Controlling the amount of light yields more or less damage, giving researchers a useful tool for testing ways to treat these wounded organelles, with a view to fixing damage in human cells.

Written by John Ankers

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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