Powerhouse
Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell – but if something dampens their output, it can be difficult to determine why. To better investigate mitochondrial function, a team of researchers from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland developed a method to glow mice in the dark, like fireflies. Their work was published in the magazine today Natural chemical biology.
Cell Walls
Like cells themselves, mitochondria have a membrane that filters filters that enter and exit their structure. That membrane is based on a difference in polarity, known as ‘membrane potential’, and when membrane potential drops, it could be a sign of a problem. Testing that membrane is the reason scientists had a need to glow mice.
Sa! To do this, (EPFL professor and lead author of the paper) Elena Goun and team used mice that were genetically modified to express luciferase, the enzyme that produces light in combination with another compound called luciferin – that’s exactly how fireflies glow. The team developed two molecules that, when injected into mice, pass into the mitochondria and cause them to produce luciferin, causing the mice to glow. “In a completely darkened room, you can see the mice glowing, just like fireflies,” says Elena Goun.
Real Glow Up
Studying mitochondrial function is then as simple as measuring how bright the mice glow. The clearer they are, the more luciferin in the mitochondria, the better the mitochondria function. This methodology for animal models for testing mitochondrial functions could be extremely useful in matters such as research on cancer drugs, as well as matters such as diabetes, oncology, aging, nutrition, and neurogenerative diseases.
READ MORE: Fireworks shed light on the function of mitochondria [EPFL]
More about mouse studies: Lab puts mice in locked animation. Will it work on people?
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