Objectives: To characterize the biochemical function of mitochondria in energy production, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis in relation to human physiopathology and gene therapy.
Approach: Standardized techniques based on polarography, spectrophotometry, fluorimetry, electrophoresis will be utilized for the structural and functional analysis of mitochondrial biogenesis, bioenergetics, ROS metabolism and organellar dynamics.
| Members: | |
| Unit Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Gaetano Villani |
| Members: | Anna Ferretta |
| Diana Behrens | |
| Birgit Löffler |
References:
D’Errico I, Salvatore L, Murzilli M, Lo Sasso G, Latorre D, Martelli N, Egorova AV, Polishuck R, Madeyski-Bengtson K, Lelliott C, Vidal-Puig AJ, Seibel P, Villani G, Moschetta A. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1-α (PGC1α) is a metabolic regulator of intestinal epithelial cell fate. PNAS. 2011 Apr 5.
Pacelli C, Latorre D, Cocco T, Capuano F, Kukat C, Seibel P, Villani G. Tight control of mitochondrial membrane potential by cytochrome c oxidase. Mitochondrion. 2011 Mar;11(2):334-41.
Pacelli C, De Rasmo D, Signorile A, Grattagliano I, di Tullio G, D’Orazio A, Nico B, Comi GP, Ronchi D, Ferranini E, Pirolo D, Seibel P, Schubert S, Gaballo A, Villani G, Cocco T. Mitochondrial defect and PGC-1α dysfunction in parkin-associated familial Parkinson’s disease. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2011 Jan 5
Seibel P, Di Nunno C, Kukat C, Schäfer I, Del Bo R, Bordoni A, Comi GP, Schön A, Capuano F, Latorre D, Villani G. Cosegregation of novel mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene mutations with the age-associated T414G variant in human cybrids. Nucleic Acids Res. 2008 Oct;36(18):5872-8.
Kukat A, Kukat C, Brocher J, Schäfer I, Krohne G; Trounce IA, Villani G, Seibel P. Generation of ρ0 cells utilizing a mitochondrially targeted restriction endonuclease and comparative analyses. Nucleic Acids Res. 2008 Apr;36(7):e44.
Seibel P, Trappe J, Villani G, Klopstock T, Papa S, Reichmann H. Transfection of mitochondria: strategy towards a gene therapy of mitochondrial DNA diseases. Nucleic Acids Res. 1995 Jan 11;23(1):10-7.