Professor
Department of Molecular & Cell Biology
University of California, Berkeley
HHMI
Title: Neruonal control of mitochondrial stress and function - Mitokines
Abstract: My laboratory has made an intriguing discovery that mitochondrial stress in one tissue can be communicated to distal tissues. We find that mitochondrial stress in the nervous system triggers the production of entities known as "mitokines". These mitokines are discharged from the nervous system, orchestrating a response in peripheral tissues that extends the lifespan of C. elegans. The revelation came as a surprise, given the prevalent belief that cell autonomous mechanisms would underlie the relationship between mitochondrial function and aging. It was also surprising given the prevailing dogma that mitochondrial function must be increased, not decreased, to improve health and longevity. Our work also underscores the fact that mitochondria, which originated as a microbial entity and later evolved into an intracellular symbiont, have retained their capacity for intercommunication, now facilitated by signals from the nervous system. We hypothesize that this communication has evolved as a mechanism to reduce infection from pathogens.
Host: PhD Students
