Mitochondrial biogenesis

I made a quip the other week that at the moment the perfect study would mention mitchondria, the microbiome and epigenetics.  A comment added that neuroplasticity would help too.  These are the sexy subjects that are getting funded just now.

Well, this new study ticks one box at least.

Increased Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Muscle Improves Aging Phenotypes in the mtDNA Mutator Mouse

Interesting.  So how do you get more mitochondria?  Exercise including sprints and resistance training

Muscle Heat Stress - grows new mitochondria

This is an interesting study.  It is a bit of a cliche, but everyone talks about the mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell.  They are where ATP, the energy currency of the cell is produced.  The more mitochondria you have the more fuel you will be able to generate in your muscles. (OK I am over simplifying)


Studies into interval training have found that high intensity training can induce mitochondrial biogenesis - i.e. grow new ones.

This new study indicates that the heat generated by exercise in muscles could be responsible for generating new mitochondria.  


Mild heat stress induces mitochondrial biogenesis in C2C12 myotubes

During endurance exercise, most (≈75%) of the energy derived from the oxidation of metabolic fuels and ATP hydrolysis of muscle contraction is liberated as heat, the accumulation of which leads to an increase in body temperature. For example, the temperature of exercising muscles can rise to 40°C. Although severe heat injury can be deleterious, several beneficial effects of mild heat stress (HS), such as the improvement of insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes, have been reported. However, among all cellular events induced by mild HS from physical activities, the direct effects and mechanisms of mild HS on mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle are least characterized. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) are key energy-sensing molecules regulating mitochondrial biogenesis. In C2C12 myotubes, we found that 1 h mild HS at 40°C upregulated both AMPK activity and SIRT1 expression, as well as increased the expression of several mitochondrial biogenesis regulatory genes including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and transcription factors involved in mitochondrial biogenesis. In particular, PGC-1α expression was found to be transcriptionally regulated by mild HS. Additionally, after repeated mild HS for 5 days, protein levels of PGC-1α and several mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation subunits were also upregulated. Repeated mild HS also significantly increased mitochondrial DNA copy number. In conclusion, these data show that mild HS is sufficient to induce mitochondrial biogenesis in C2C12 myotubes. Temperature-induced mitochondrial biogenesis correlates with activation of the AMPK-SIRT1-PGC-1α pathway. Therefore, it is possible that muscle heat production during exercise plays a role in mitochondrial biogenesis.

Sugar, cancer and mitochondria

I've had stuff up here over the years (e.g. here and here)about how cancer cells seem to survive by burning sugar and not fat and so some doctors have tried to starve cancers by using a ketogenic diet, with some success.

Anyway, here is a video outlining new research into this same topic:



The research is reported here and the full article is available here

Cancer cells tend to take up more glucose than healthy cells, and researchers are increasingly interested in exploiting this tendency with drugs that target cancer cells' altered metabolism.

Cancer cells' sugar cravings arise partly because they turn off their mitochondria, power sources that burn glucose efficiently, in favor of a more inefficient mode of using glucose. They benefit because the byproducts can be used as building blocks for fast-growing cells.

Drugs or diet, if this knowledge can help find a solution to cancer then that is good.