117-Mitochondrial Endosymbiosis and Inflammatory Diseases
This article in Nature, details the concept that a breakdown in the endosymbiotic relationship between mitochondria and the host cell may be a foundational cause of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Mitochondria, retaining traits from their bacterial origin, can release various factors—including proteins, nucleic acids (mtDNA/mtRNA), metabolites, and reactive oxygen species (ROS)—into the cytosol when their protective outer membrane is breached. The text explains that the cell can recognize these mitochondrial factors as "foreign" or danger signals, triggering innate immune responses like…
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