Mitochondria in development: Neural stem cell-niche interactions that protect the developing and aging brain against mitochondrial dysfunction

线粒体疾病是一种遗传性疾病，它会损害我们细胞中的能量产生，在英国，每5000人中就有1人患有线粒体疾病。能量的产生对所有细胞和生物体的正常功能至关重要。然而，线粒体疾病的症状可能非常多样化和组织特异性，通常只出现在成年生活中。这表明，一些组织和生命阶段相对来说不受线粒体功能障碍的影响，而另一些组织和阶段则更容易受到线粒体功能障碍的影响。在实验室里，我们研究细胞和组织对线粒体功能障碍的反应。大脑是我们研究的主要焦点，因为它经常受到线粒体疾病的影响，对残疾和死亡有重大影响。我们的总体目标是确定线粒体和神经退行性疾病的组织特异性表型的新决定因素，并发现治疗这些疾病的潜在治疗靶点。这将为线粒体功能障碍也起作用的其他疾病提供新的见解，包括糖尿病和癌症。

Mitochondrial diseases are genetic disorders that impair the energy production in our cells and affect about 1 in 5,000 people in the UK. Production of energy is crucial for normal functioning of all cells and organisms. Nevertheless, symptoms of mitochondrial disease can be very diverse and tissue-specific and often only appear in adult life. This suggests that some tissues and stages of life are relatively protected from mitochondrial dysfunction, while others are more susceptible.In the lab, we study how cells and tissues respond to mitochondrial dysfunction. The brain is the main focus of our research as it is frequently affected by mitochondrial disease, with a major impact on disability and death. Our overall aim is to identify novel determinants of tissue-specific phenotypes of mitochondrial and neurodegenerative diseases, and to uncover potential therapeutic targets to treat these disorders.This will provide novel insight for other conditions where mitochondrial dysfunction plays a role too, including diabetes and cancer.