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/sci/ - Science & Math

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3060730 No.3060730 [Reply] [Original]

Are mitochondria the only reason we die /sci/?

>> No.3060733

Well, they're the only reason we live.

>> No.3060744

>>3060733
sure is a lot of dumbfuck in here.

>> No.3060745

>>3060733

Fair point but they seem to have a self destruct kind of attitude to life

>> No.3060765

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=aging

>> No.3060766

Don't cancer cells respire anaerobically so they don't use their mitochondria. Aren't they considered 'immortal'?

>> No.3060772

>>3060765

HEY GUYS LETS NOT DISCUSS SCIENCE ON A SCIENCE BOARD
HURR

>> No.3060782

>>3060772
>If it's on wikipedia, it's science

>> No.3060787

http://hubpages.com/hub/Scientists_cure_cancer__but_no_one_takes_notice#

>hubpages.com
>article created 4 years ago

I've heard a tiny bit on the subject, but I'd like to ask you guys about the plausibility about this article.

Does DCA actually reactivate apoptosis in compromised cells?
Is the reactivation of apoptosis limited to functional cancer cells, or cancer cells that are just there, living, and doing nothing?
How does DCA react to healthy cells?
Does DCA have any effect on other parts of the cellular structure?

inb4 pharmaceutical companies conspiring against a cure

>> No.3060790

Clearly not, but they are a contributory cause of ageing. Oxidative metabolism is a dangerous game. Our ancestors (and in fact most all organisms that exist in natural circumstances) were subject to metabolic challenges requiring them to extract every last bit of usable energy from their food for survival. The risk was worth it for the reason that food energy utilization was survival critical.

Needless to say, in the environment of technological civilization this is no longer the case. We're equipped with genes that hoard energy (by storing fat) and burn sugar in a way that produces by-products toxic to our cells. This latter procedure, a kind of chemical roulette, is conducted by the mitochondria. What was a good risk has turned bad because starvation is no longer a controlling factor in our survival.

The other problem with mitochondria is that their own genes (the mtDNA) are held in close proximity to a chemical hothouse. Damage and degradation of this DNA with its vital metabolic function can render cells unable to extract the energy necessary for survival. This is a contributory cause of senescence, connected to the first because it also involves the production of risky, reactive by-products of metabolism.

>> No.3060792

>>3060782

wow you are an exceptional retard

>> No.3060795

yes. bullets are made of mitochondria and so are traffic accidents

>> No.3060817

>>3060782
>Babies are delicious and toddlers are sexy.

>> No.3060830

>>3060787
The dichloroacetate story has been discussed to death. Somebody (you?) keeps posting threads about it. Can we stick to the original topic rather than debunking the same garbage article over and over?

>> No.3060836

>>3060830
Literally the first time I've heard of it, but fair enough. I'll go google it.

>> No.3060950

>>3060766

Superior telomerase activity is the largest contributing factor to cancer cell immortality.

Read about the Hayflick limit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayflick_limit

and HeLa cells:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLa

They should give a basic grounding on some of the reasons why tumour cells are resistant to apoptosis.

I can recommend some good journal articles, but they obviously aren't written for the layman.