Self-destructing mitochondria may leave some brain cells vulnerable to ALS

In upper motor nerve cells in mice, the cell organelles formed loops that then disintegrated

Self-destructing mitochondria

A newfound type of mitochondrial destruction starts when one of the cellular power plants stretches out and bends into a U (left). Its ends connect and fuse into a ring (center), and the organelle begins dismantling itself from the inside out (right).

Mukesh Gautam

A newly discovered type of mitochondrial self-destruction may make some brain cells vulnerable to ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.