Bacteria, yeast, worms, and flies: exploiting simple model organisms to investigate human mitochondrial diseases.

ABSTRACT: The extensive conservation of mitochondrial structure, composition, and function across evolution offers a unique opportunity to expand our understanding of human mitochondrial biology and disease. By investigating the biology of much simpler model organisms, it is often possible to answer questions that are unreachable at the clinical level. Here, we review the relative utility of four different model organisms, namely the bacterium Escherichia coli, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, in studying the role of mitochondrial proteins relevant to human disease. E. coli are single cell, prokaryotic bacteria that have proven to be a useful model system in which to investigate mitochondrial respiratory chain protein

SUBMITTER: Rea SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3628736 | biostudies-literature | 2010

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature