In this podcast, we explore the exciting field of mitochondrial transcriptomics. Guest Editor John Hollander (West Virginia University School of Medicine) interviews lead author Samarjit Das (Johns Hopkins University) and content expert Paras Mishra (University of Nebraska Medical Center) about the new Review by Anne Macgregor-Das and Samarjit Das which expands our understanding of the intersection between mitochondria and non-coding RNAs. The mitochondrial genome only contains 13 protein encoding genes. Questions abound: Why are so many microRNAs found in the mitochondria, and do they all bind to mitochondrial mRNAs? What percentage of mitomereres are directly involved in the regulation of the mitochondrial genome? What diseases do our experts envision benefitting from microRNA therapeutics in the near future? Listen to find the answers.

 

Anne M. Macgregor-Das and Samarjit Das A microRNA's Journey to the Center of the Mitochondria Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published March 23, 2018. DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00452.2017