” With our research, we have now been able to identify the proteins included in coenzyme Q transport from the mitochondria to the cell surface”, discusses Deshwal.” The mitochondria actively transport coenzyme Q to the cell surface to secure cells from cell death. It is as if the mitochondria deliver band-aids to the surface to safeguard the cell”, says Deshwal. “This again reveals that mitochondria are not only crucial as an energy supplier for our cells, however also play vital regulative roles.”
The enzyme STARD7 (green) helps mitochondria (red) to transport Coenzyme Q to secure cells from cell death. Credit: MPI f. Biology of Aging/ S. Deshwal
The circulation of Coenzyme Q within a cell is controlled by mitochondria.
Anti-oxidants are frequently touted as a remedy in the realm of nutrition and sold as dietary supplements. Our bodies naturally produce these free radical neutralizers, one of which is Coenzyme Q. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging in Cologne, Germany, have now exposed how this substance, which is produced in our mitochondria, takes a trip to the cell membrane and safeguards our cells from dying.
Coenzyme Q is an important antioxidant for our bodies. A lack of Coenzyme Q can result in serious health problems like Leigh syndrome, a genetic condition that impacts specific areas of the brain and can cause muscle weak point, to name a few signs. In addition, a shortage of Coenzyme Q is one of the earliest signs of aging and can occur as early as the early twenties. Why cant we just consume this substance through our diet plan?
” Coenzyme Q is an extremely hydrophobic molecule that our bodies soak up really little from food,” describes Soni Deshwal, scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging and lead author of the research study.
But it is also an issue in our cells that coenzyme Q is not water soluble. The anti-oxidant is formed in mitochondria and needs to travel through the watery cell interior called cytoplasm to the surface of the cells in order to reduce the effects of oxidized lipid types.
” With our research study, we have now been able to identify the proteins involved in coenzyme Q transport from the mitochondria to the cell surface”, explains Deshwal. The scientists found that an enzyme called STARD7 helps transfer the coenzyme. This protein is not only localized in the mitochondria, but also inside the cytoplasm.
Band-aids for the cell surface
” The mitochondria actively transport coenzyme Q to the cell surface area to secure cells from cell death. It is as if the mitochondria provide band-aids to the surface to safeguard the cell”, states Deshwal. “This again shows that mitochondria are not just important as an energy supplier for our cells, but also play crucial regulative roles.”
In the long term, the scientists hope that a precise understanding of this transport process will enable Coenzyme Q to be delivered into the cells of affected patients and thus provide a new restorative approach for diseases such as Leigh syndrome.
Referral: “Mitochondria manage intracellular coenzyme Q transport and ferroptotic resistance via STARD7” by Soni Deshwal, Mashun Onishi, Takashi Tatsuta, Tim Bartsch, Eileen Cors, Katharina Ried, Kathrin Lemke, Hendrik Nolte, Patrick Giavalisco and Thomas Langer, 19 January 2023, Nature Cell Biology.DOI: 10.1038/ s41556-022-01071-y.