Collaborations and funding

Mitochondrial diseases

Mitochondria produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of the cell, through the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system. Mitochondria harbour their own genome, which encodes 13 of the OXPHOS components. The remaining components are encoded in the nucleus of the cell and imported into the mitochondria. We study the impact of mitochondrial dysfunction on disease and ageing using genetically modified mouse and fly models, molecular biology methods, and microscopy.

Mitochondrial function in cancer

Cancer cells show a distinct metabolism compared to normal cells, since they are optimized for enhanced growth rather than performing specific functions in the body. Cancer cells are often more sensitive than healthy cells to mitochondrial dysfunction, and inhibition of mitochondrial function can therefore be a powerful method to treat cancer. We work on the development of drugs for cancer treatment by inhibiting mitochondrial transcription and translation.

Organization and regulation of the mitochondrial genome

Mammalian mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is organized into nucleoids. We have studied the ultrastructure of these nucleoids and found that they have an irregular ellipsoidal shape and typically contain a single copy of mtDNA. We have also suggested a mechanism for how mtDNA is packaged into nucleoids. The organisation of mtDNA into nucleoids is reviewed in Kukat and Larsson, Trends Cell Biol 2013.

To regulate the expression of the 13 proteins encoded by the mtDNA, several hundred proteins need to be imported into the mitochondria. We study the molecular machinery for replication, transcription and translation of mtDNA. Post-transcriptional mechanisms seem to play an important role. For a recent review on these topics see Hällberg and Larsson, Cell Metabolism 2014.

Mitochondria in neurodegenerative disease and ageing

It has been suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction may be involved in the progressive neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson’s disease. To study this, we created several mouse models with neuron-specific inactivation of mtDNA genome maintenance, mitochondrial fusion or complex I deficiency. One of these models, the MitoPark mouse, recapitulates several features of Parkinson’s disease in humans and allows studies of disease progression.

We have created a knockin mouse with reduced proofreading activity during DNA replication. These mutator mice show increased levels of random point mutations and accumulate severe ageing phenotypes, showing that mtDNA mutations can cause a premature ageing phenotype. Different aspects of the role of mitochondria in mammalian ageing are discussed in Kauppila et al, Cell Metabolism 2017.