Mitochondrial biology
Leaders
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Steffi Goffart
Senior ResearcherDepartment of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology -
Jaakko Pohjoismäki
ProfessorDepartment of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology
Mitochondria, the power stations of a cell, have their own genome, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is essential for the healthy functions of the cells. Various genetic diseases are caused by increasing damage or loss of mitochondrial DNA in body tissues of patients; these diseases are often devastating. For unknown reasons only some tissues, often muscle or brain, are affected, while others do not show any symptom. Our group investigates how mitochondria function and how mtDNA is maintained and duplicated in different organs such as muscle, liver and brain. We try to explain the differences in these tissues and find the factors that are involved in damage, protection and repair of mitochondrial DNA. Thus we aim to explain how the mtDNA diseases are caused and why only some tissues are affected. In the long run we hope to find means to prevent, treat or alleviate the symptoms of these diseases. We are also interested in outstanding questions in evolutionary biology related to mitochondria, such as how mitochondria interact with the nucleus, possibly enforcing species boundaries.
Keywords
Leaders
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Steffi Goffart
Senior ResearcherDepartment of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology -
Jaakko Pohjoismäki
ProfessorDepartment of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology
Post-doctoral Researchers
Doctoral Researchers
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Georgios Fragkoulis
Visiting ResearcherDepartment of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology -
Riikka Tapanainen
Grant-funded ResearcherDepartment of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology -
Petra Tikkanen
Doctoral ResearcherDepartment of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology
Publications
30 items-
Linear DNA-driven recombination in mammalian mitochondria
Fragkoulis, Georgios; Hangas, Anu; Fekete, Zsófia; Michell, Craig; Moraes, Carlos T; Willcox, Smaranda; Griffith, Jack D; Goffart, Steffi; Pohjoismäki, Jaakko L O. 2024. Nucleic acids research. 52: 3088-3105 -
Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Replication by Two-Dimensional Agarose Gel Electrophoresis
Goffart, Steffi; Pohjoismäki, Jaakko. Teoksessa: Nicholls, TJ; Uhler, JP; Falkenberg, M(toim.) , 2023. Mitochondrial DNA. s. 241-266. Humana press -
Enhanced mitochondrial G-quadruplex formation impedes replication fork progression leading to mtDNA loss in human cells
Doimo, Mara; Chaudhari, Namrata; Abrahamsson, Sanna; L'Hote, Valentin; Nguyen, Tran VH; Berner, Andreas; Ndi, Mama; Abrahamsson, Alva; Das, Rabindra Nath; Aasumets, Koit; Goffart, Steffi; Pohjoismäki, Jaakko LO; Lopez, Marcela Davila; Chorell, Erik; Wanrooij, Sjoerd. 2023. Nucleic acids research. 15: 7392-7408 -
Spatial adjustment of bioenergetics, a possible determinant of contractile adaptation and development of contractile failure
Szibor, Marten; Mühlon, Marie; Doenst, Torsten; Pohjoismäki, Jaakko L O. 2023. Frontiers in molecular medicine. 3: . 1305960 -
Uncharacterized protein C17orf80 - a novel interactor of human mitochondrial nucleoids
Potter, Alisa; Hangas, Anu; Goffart, Steffi; Huynen, Martijn A; Cabrera-Orefice, Alfredo; Spelbrink, Johannes N. 2023. Journal of cell science. 136: . jcs260822 -
Adaptive and Pathological Outcomes of Radiation Stress-Induced Redox Signaling
Pohjoismäki, Jaakko LO; Goffart, Steffi. 2022. Antioxidants and redox signaling. 37: 336-348 -
Heterozygous p.Y955C mutation in DNA polymerase γ leads to alterations in bioenergetics, complex I subunit expression, and mtDNA replication
Rahman, Md. Mostafijur; Young, Carolyn K.J; Goffart, Steffi; Pohjoismäki, Jaakko L.O; Young, Matthew J. 2022. Journal of biological chemistry. 298: -
Top3α is the replicative topoisomerase in mitochondrial DNA replication
Hangas, Anu; Kekäläinen, Nina J; Potter, Alisa; Michell, Craig; Aho, Kauko J; Rutanen, Chiara; Spelbrink, Johannes N; Pohjoismäki, Jaakko L; Goffart, Steffi. 2022. Nucleic acids research. 50: 8733-8748 -
MRE11-dependent instability in mitochondrial DNA fork protection activates a cGAS immune signaling pathway
Luzwick, Jessica W.; Dombi, Eszter; Boisvert, Rebecca A.; Roy, Sunetra; Park, Soyoung; Kunnimalaiyaan, Selvi; Goffart, Steffi; Schindler, Detlev; Schlacher, Katharina. 2021. Science advances. 7: eabf9441 -
TFAM knockdown-triggered mtDNA-nucleoid aggregation and a decrease in mtDNA copy number induce the reorganization of nucleoid populations and mitochondria-associated ER-membrane contacts
Aasumets, Koit; Basikhina, Yuliya; Pohjoismäki, Jaakko L; Goffart, Steffi; Gerhold, Joachim. 2021. Biochemistry and biophysics reports. 28: 101142