DNA Repair, Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Kevin Perrott comments on recent research into DNA repair and the effects of damage: "a DNA repair protein called NEIL1 coded in the nucleus had also been found in liver mitochondria implicating it, and possibly its relatives role, in the repair of mitochondrial DNA mutations. ... The researchers mutated both copies of NIEL1 in mice expecting an increased incidence of cancer but what they got were massively obese rodents with diabetes accompanied by liver and kidney disease and elevated of triglycerides in the blood, all hallmarks of metabolic syndrome. Hypothesizing that impaired mitochondrial function due to lack of NEIL1 function might be the cause, the confirmed that the mitochondrial DNA of the mutant mice indeed suffer from a great deal of breaks and damage." It is encouraging that work is underway to develop repair technologies for mitochondrial DNA.
Link: http://www.healthextension.net/archives/2006/02/metabolic_syndr.html