Key points from article :
A major focus of aging research is discovering ways to maintain protein shape and prevent misfolded proteins causing havoc on cellular function.
Another major focus of aging research is on mitochondria.
The connection between protein shape and mitochondrial health, concluded: it’s more complicated than we thought.
Dr. Suzanne Angeli (lead author) found that activating the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) in adult worms, C. elegans, caused worse health and a shorter lifespan.
The team examined a pore called the mitochondrial permeability transition pore.
The signals coming from the opened pore are too strong for the cell to ignore and result in cell death.
Genetic manipulations to keep the pore closed resulted in longer average lifespan for the worms.
Research was carried out at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and published in eLife.
