Researchers reveal new molecular mechanism for Parkinson's disease risk
In about a fifth of the cases of Parkinson's disease, look to a small, malfunctioning protein in the lysosome as a risk factor, say University of Michigan researchers.
In about a fifth of the cases of Parkinson's disease, look to a small, malfunctioning protein in the lysosome as a risk factor, say University of Michigan researchers.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 23, 2022
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Just as healthy organs are vital to our well-being, healthy organelles are vital to the proper functioning of the cell. These subcellular structures carry out specific jobs within the cell; for example, mitochondria power ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 1, 2024
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121
Aging is the deterioration of a cell's ability to divide and grow as it gets older. This causes degradation of the body and age-related diseases. Prevention of aging is an instinctive desire of humans; thus, it is a task ...
Biochemistry
Apr 4, 2017
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The colorful Clownfish lives longer than 20 years in the aquarium. Researchers of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy, in collaboration with the Leibniz Institute on Aging (FLI) in Jena, Germany, have investigated ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 25, 2019
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Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and collaborating institutions report in the journal Nature Cell Biology that lysosomes in roundworms produce molecules that allow cells ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 10, 2022
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132
A team of researchers from the Center for Soft and Living Matter, within the Institute of Basic Science (IBS, South Korea) and affiliated with Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has discovered a novel ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 16, 2020
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185
The correct functioning of cells rests upon the precise orchestration of many complex processes and organelles. Lysosomes—vital cell organelles—are enzyme-filled subunits found within many animal cells that help break ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 6, 2022
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Researchers have identified the driving force behind a cellular process linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and motor neurone disease.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 16, 2020
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130
Infectious diseases currently cause about one-third of all human deaths worldwide, more than all forms of cancer combined. Advances in cell biology and microbial genetics have greatly enhanced understanding of the cause and ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 10, 2009
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0
Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that two key cellular structures, called mitochondria and lysosomes, come into direct contact with each other in the cell to regulate their respective functions. This rare ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 24, 2018
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Lysosomes are cellular organelles that contain acid hydrolase enzymes to break down waste materials and cellular debris. They are found in animal cells, while in yeast and plants the same roles are performed by lytic vacuoles. Lysosomes digest excess or worn-out organelles, food particles, and engulf viruses or bacteria. The membrane around a lysosome allows the digestive enzymes to work at the 4.5 pH they require. Lysosomes fuse with vacuoles and dispense their enzymes into the vacuoles, digesting their contents. They are created by the addition of hydrolytic enzymes to early endosomes from the Golgi apparatus. The name lysosome derives from the Greek words lysis, to separate, and soma, body. They are frequently nicknamed "suicide-bags" or "suicide-sacs" by cell biologists due to their role in autolysis. Lysosomes were discovered by the Belgian cytologist Christian de Duve in the 1960s.
The size of lysosomes varies from 0.1–1.2 μm. At pH 4.8, the interior of the lysosomes is acidic compared to the slightly alkaline cytosol (pH 7.2). The lysosome maintains this pH differential by pumping protons (H+ ions) from the cytosol across the membrane via proton pumps and chloride ion channels. The lysosomal membrane protects the cytosol, and therefore the rest of the cell, from the degradative enzymes within the lysosome. The cell is additionally protected from any lysosomal acid hydrolases that drain into the cytosol, as these enzymes aren't pH-sensitive and function as well in the alkaline environment of the cytosol.
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