Yeast gives rise to new concept: cell fuel is 'brains' behin...( With the cost of diesel and gasoline...),Health

With the cost of diesel and gasoline getting nearer to the hourly minimum wage, too bad the fuel doesnt do more work - like deciding what route to take and pressing the gas pedal.

While that concept isnt likely to work for vehicle fuel, a new study has found that it is, in fact, what goes on in the cells of yeast.

Mitochondria, the fuel of a cell, has been found to be the driver for cell division, according to Texas AgriLife Research biochemists. This discovery could play a big role in finding cures for many human diseases, they say.

The biochemists studied yeast cells and found that mitochondria, which generates 90 percent of the cells energy, can be the deciding factor the brain power behind how fast cells divide.

The finding by Drs. Michael Polymenis and Mary Bryk and their research groups in Texas A&M Universitys biochemistry and biophysics department was published in todays open-access journal Public Library of Science-Genetics. The research was funded by the National Institute of Health.

The finding changes the traditional view of the mitochondrion from an energy depot at the service of its larger cellular host to a command center that directs cell division, Polymenis said.

The researchers used regular bakers yeast commonly used in breads, wine and beer making because many of the yeast cells processes are similar to those in human cells, according to Bryk.

From unicellular yeast to complex mammals, the process is the same, Bryk said. The job of a cell is to divide and grow. Metabolism takes in food and turns it into fuel and building blocks for DNA replication and gene expression.

But when these processes falter, diseases can result. Too much cell division too quickly, for example, is typical of cancerous cells, Polymenis pointed out. Conversely, poor metabolism stemming from mitochondrial deficiencies is at the root of damage to various organs such as the b
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