Of Mice and Mitochondria (VIDEO)
Caption
TRAP-1 is a protein vital for the production of chemical energy in the mitochondria of cells, but it is over-produced in tumor cells. The laboratory of Dr. Dario Altieri at The Wistar Institute has developed a drug to specifically target TRAP-1 and related proteins (members of the Heat Shock Protein 90 family). To further study the role of TRAP-1 in living organisms, they created 'knockout' mice that lack the gene that encodes TRAP-1. To their surprise, they found that mice born without functioning TRAP-1 live just as long as wild-type mice, yet show fewer signs of age-related disease and cancer. The published their findings July 31 in Cell Reports. In this video, Dr. Sofia Lisanti a fellow in the Altieri lab and first author of the paper, discusses their findings.
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The Wistar Institute
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