Mitochondria control stem cell fate
The human intestinal system covers an area of approximately 300 to 500 square meters due to its many protrusions (villi). This inner intestinal wall full of tiny bumps renews itself completely once every four to five days, a process which is guided by stem cells. Mitochondria are the powerhouse of a cell and provide energy through respiration, and play a crucial part in this process. When the self-renewal of intestinal epithelial cells is interrupted, for example due to defective mitochondria, chronic inflammation may result under extreme conditions. "We then speak of cell stress," explains Professor Dirk Haller from the Chair of Nutrition and Immunology and Executive Director of the Institute for Food and Health (ZIEL) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). If cell stress occurs, then -- to put it graphically -- helpers so called chaperones are activated to ensure that the proteins involved in the renewal process fold properly in cells in order to maintain homeost...