New research reveals sticky DNA lesions in mitochondria (mtDNA) disrupt energy production and trigger stress, potentially linking to chronic diseases and inflammation. mtDNA damage is more prevalent than nuclear DNA damage.
By engineering photosynthetic cyanobacteria to live symbiotically inside yeast cells, the bacteria-yeast hybrids can produce important hydrocarbons, paving new biotechnical pathways to non-petroleum-based energy, other synthetic biology applications, and the experimental study of evolution.
The approach by a research team supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reported in Science Translational Medicine, may eventually lead to potential treatments for inherited hearing loss in people.
