SeminarPast EventNeuroscience

CNS Control of Peripheral Mitochondrial Form and Function: Mitokines

Schedule
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
04:30 UTC
Andy Dillin

HHMI Investigator

University of California, Berkeley

Host: Ad hoc

Event Information

Host

Ad hoc

Duration

70 minutes

Abstract

My laboratory has made an intriguing discovery that mitochondrial stress in one tissue can be communicated to distal tissues. We find that mitochondrial stress in the nervous system triggers the production of entities known as mitokines. These mitokines are discharged from the nervous system, orchestrating a response in peripheral tissues that extends the lifespan of C. elegans. The revelation came as a surprise, given the prevalent belief that cell autonomous mechanisms would underlie the relationship between mitochondrial function and aging. It was also surprising given the prevailing dogma that mitochondrial function must be increased, not decreased, to improve health and longevity. Our work also underscores the fact that mitochondria, which originated as a microbial entity and later evolved into an intracellular symbiont, have retained their capacity for intercommunication, now facilitated by signals from the nervous system. We hypothesize that this communication has evolved as a mechanism to reduce infection from pathogens.

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