Mitochondrial genome mutates when reprogrammed
Thursday, July 28, 2011 - 11:02
in Biology & Nature
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are truly talented multi-taskers. They can reproduce almost all cell types and thus offer great hope in the fight against diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. However, it would appear that their use is not entirely without risk: during the reprogramming of body cells into iPS cells, disease-causing mutations can creep into the genetic material. The genome of the mitochondria the cell's protein factories is particularly vulnerable to such changes.
