The mighty mitochondria

For the past 25 years, Naresh Babu Sepuri's research has revolved around one cell organelle, the mitochondrion. He is interested in understanding how mitochondria communicate with other organelles in the cell, especially the nucleus. Although the answer to this question is still in the works, he has taken many detours to explore other aspects of mitochondrial biology. One of the areas he is exploring is the potential of mitochondrial rejuvenation in treating neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Mitochondria have always been known as the seat of energy production in a cell. About 1.5-2 billion years ago, a eukaryotic cell engulfed another tiny aerobic bacterium. Both got into a symbiotic relationship with each other and the aerobic bacterium never left. The two continued to evolve together and the aerobic bacterium got fixed as an organelle in the eukaryotic cell. The organelle took charge of energy production as it could use the nutrients in the cell to produce chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondria are, therefore, often referred to as the powerhouses of the cell and they still retain a fragment of their original DNA.