Study:

UCI researchers have made a discovery they say may help scientists understand more about heart and muscle disease.

The study found that a single change in the mitochondria of a cell’s DNA can cause degenerative heart disease and muscle disease. The mitochondria are sometimes characterized as the cell’s “power plant” because it provides energy.

Both diseases are often referred to as age-related, and the discovery helps make a connection between mitochondria and human health.

Researchers hope the findings can help develop effective treatments for age-related diseases.

Mouse cells were used to change the mitochondrial DNA, and then stem cells were developed with the mutated cell and placed in female embryonic cells so the deficiency would be inherited through the germ line.

The mice with the mutated mitochondria were healthy in early life, but were afflicted with heart and muscle disease a year later, according to the study.

— Daniel Tedford