Jumping Genes Cause this Mitochondrial Channel Protein to Fold into the Wrong Shape (IMAGE)

Duke University

Jumping Genes Cause this Mitochondrial Channel Protein to Fold into the Wrong Shape

Caption

3-D modeling shows that Alu insertions within the TOMM40 gene could make the channel protein it encodes fold into the wrong shape, causing the mitochondria's import machinery to clog and stop working.

Credit

Model courtesy of Peter Larsen.

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