Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Here we address the important question of cross-talk between the mitochondria and cytosol. We show that the inner mitochondrial protein, MiNT, interacts with a protein on the outer mitochondrial membrane (mNT). This interaction occurs within the major outer membrane protein VDAC1. Inside the inner space of VDAC1, MiNT transfers its [2Fe-2S] clusters to mNT, which was shown to be a [2Fe-2S] cluster donor protein that donates its cluster(s) to apo-acceptor proteins residing in the cytosol. Hence, we suggest a pathway for transferring [2Fe-2S] clusters from inside the mitochondria to the cytosol.

Mitochondrial inner NEET (MiNT) and the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) mitoNEET (mNT) proteins belong to the NEET protein family. This family plays a key role in mitochondrial labile iron and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. NEET proteins contain labile [2Fe-2S] clusters which can be transferred to apo-acceptor proteins. In eukaryotes, the biogenesis of [2Fe-2S] clusters occurs within the mitochondria by the iron–sulfur cluster (ISC) system; the clusters are then transferred to [2Fe-2S] proteins within the mitochondria or exported to cytosolic proteins and the cytosolic iron–sulfur cluster assembly (CIA) system. The last step of export of the [2Fe-2S] is not yet fully characterized. Here we show that MiNT interacts with voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), a major OMM protein that connects the intermembrane space with the cytosol and participates in regulating the levels of different ions including mitochondrial labile iron (mLI). We further show that VDAC1 is mediating the interaction between MiNT and mNT, in which MiNT transfers its [2Fe-2S] clusters from inside the mitochondria to mNT that is facing the cytosol. This MiNT–VDAC1–mNT interaction is shown both experimentally and by computational calculations. Additionally, we show that modifying MiNT expression in breast cancer cells affects the dynamics of mitochondrial structure and morphology, mitochondrial function, and breast cancer tumor growth. Our findings reveal a pathway for the transfer of [2Fe-2S] clusters, which are assembled inside the mitochondria, to the cytosol.

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I’d place Sigmund et al. as one of my favorite papers that I have read this year! They leverage protein engineering to create genetically encoded nanocages which accumulate metals and appear as concentric circles when imaged by electron microscopy. Six classes of distinct “EMcapsulins” could be differentiated by training a machine learning model (a convolutional neural network) to recognize and classify them within images. Fusion of fluorescent protein domains to the EMcapsulins also allowed correlative imaging between fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy. The authors demonstrated 3D imaging of EMcapsulins via serial section transmission electron microscopy and focused ion beam… More.

Multiplexable barcodes for electron microscopy are applied to brain imaging.

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Quantum computing could revolutionize our world. For specific and crucial tasks, it promises to be exponentially faster than the zero-or-one binary technology that underlies today’s machines, from supercomputers in laboratories to smartphones in our pockets. But developing quantum computers hinges on building a stable network of qubits—or quantum bits—to store information, access it and perform computations.

Yet the qubit platforms unveiled to date have a common problem: They tend to be delicate and vulnerable to outside disturbances. Even a stray photon can cause trouble. Developing fault-tolerant qubits—which would be immune to external perturbations—could be the ultimate solution to this challenge.

A team led by scientists and engineers at the University of Washington has announced a significant advancement in this quest. In a pair of papers published June 14 in Nature and June 22 in Science, the researchers report that in experiments with flakes of semiconductor materials—each only a single layer of atoms thick—they detected signatures of “fractional quantum anomalous Hall” (FQAH) states.

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TOKYO (Reuters) — What would society look like if cyborg body parts were freely available for use like roadside rental bicycles? Masahiko Inami’s team at the University of Tokyo have sought to find out by creating wearable robotic arms.

Inami’s team is developing a series of technologies rooted in the idea of “jizai”, an Japanese term that he says roughly denotes autonomy and the freedom to do as one pleases.

The aim is to foster something like the relationship between musician and instrument, “lying somewhere between a human and a tool, like how a musical instrument can become as if a part of your body.”

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With generative AI taking over the artificial intelligence world, it was only a matter of time before it came to the smart home. Josh.ai, a home automation system for the connected home, has officially launched JoshGPT.

Josh is here to replace your smart home automation system as your all-in-one solution — it says it’s got the brains that your current voice assistant can’t offer you.

This is just the first of likely many generative AI-enabled smart home platforms to come.

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Malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease mostly found in tropical climates, is now on American shores. Late Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a spat of cases — one in Texas and four in Florida — discovered in May and June that were locally acquired versus acquired while traveling abroad. This is the first time this has happened since 2003.

The CDC said that all five patients received treatment and are recovering, but the agency remains on alert for any new cases. While malaria was once a public health threat in the US, its presence was eradicated in the early 1950s. The last major outbreak was in 2003 with eight patients in Palm Beach County, Florida, all of whom had significant outdoor exposure.

For now, the CDC says the risk of catching malaria in the US “remains extremely low.” However, the instance shouldn’t be taken lightly, especially as many of us will be spending more time outdoors and traveling during the summer. Here’s what you need to know.

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In an organism, different kinds of cells carry out specific, specialized functions. Scientists can grow and study various types of cells in the lab. For a long time, a source of many of those cell lines were cancer samples that could be easily cultured over many generations. But those cells were not always representative of a particular cell type. Now, following huge breakthroughs, scientists learned how to create stem cells from adult skin cells. This has allowed scientists to utilize adult cells like those from the skin to create induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs), which can then be made into virtually any cell type.

The creation of so-called iPSCs was made possible through changing gene expression in cells, often with certain molecules or specialized proteins. Cells can also now be directly reprogrammed in some ways, without needing to bring them to a pluripotent state. The number of cell types that can be generated in this way is also expanding, bringing new insights into how specialized cells function.

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It sucks that the primary reason this has not gone forward is because it is off patent.

This video is reproduced from a presentation I gave to the Euro-Geroscience Task Force “Challenges in Developing Geroscience Drug Trials” held March 23, 2022 in Toulouse, France. It gives an introduction to the state of research on rapamycin as a potential longevity and healthspan drug and some of the challenges and opportunities for clinical development.

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