Mitochondrial medicine - recent advances

Mitochondria contain the respiratory chain enzyme complexes that carry out oxidative phosphorylation and produce the main part of cellular energy in t he form of ATP. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes essential subunits of the respiratory chain and is thus critical for maintaining cellular energy pro duction. The first pathogenic mtDNA mutations were reported in 1988, and to day more than 50 disease-causing mtDNA mutations have been identified. In a ddition, mtDNA mutations have been implicated in ageing and in common disor ders such as diabetes mellitus, heart failure and Parkinson's disease, This review will summarize recent advances in the rapidly expanding field of mi tochondrial medicine.