Nature Communications (Jan 2018)

Loss of mtDNA activates astrocytes and leads to spongiotic encephalopathy

  • Olesia Ignatenko,
  • Dmitri Chilov,
  • Ilse Paetau,
  • Elena de Miguel,
  • Christopher B. Jackson,
  • Gabrielle Capin,
  • Anders Paetau,
  • Mugen Terzioglu,
  • Liliya Euro,
  • Anu Suomalainen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01859-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Astrocytes in the brain are metabolically dynamic. Here, Ignatenko, Chilov and colleagues delete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in a cell type specific manner, and show that inactivation of mtDNA helicase Twinkle in astrocytes leads to spongiotic encephalopathy.