Mitochondria are no longer solely regarded as the cellular powerhouse; instead, they are now implicated in mediating a wide-range of cellular processes, in the context of health and disease. A recent article in Clinical Science, Ventura-Clapier et al. highlights the role of sexual dimorphism in mitochondrial function in health and disease. However, we feel the authors have overlooked arguably one of the most mitochondria-rich organs in skeletal muscle. Many studies have demonstrated that mitochondria have a central role in mediating the pathogenesis of myopathologies. However, the impact of sexual dimorphism in this context is less clear, with several studies reporting conflicting observations. For instance in ageing studies, a rodent model reported female muscles have higher antioxidant capacity compared with males; in contrast, human studies demonstrate no sex difference in mitochondrial bioenergetics and oxidative damage. These divergent observations highlight the importance of considering models and methods used to examine mitochondrial function, when interpreting these data. The use of either isolated or intact mitochondrial preparations in many studies appears likely to be a source of discord, when comparing many studies. Overall, it is now clear that more research is needed to determine if sexual dimorphism is a contributing factor in the development of myopathologies.
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August 2017
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Human vascular smooth muscle cell derived from a skin precursor. Subjects with type-2 diabetes have fewer skin-derived precursors in their skin. Vascular smooth muscle cells derived from skin-derived precursors from subjects with type-2 diabetes carry persistent signatures of disease even weeks after being removed from the patient. Thus, skin-derived precursors may be a promising platform to study type-2 diabetes associated vascular disease in a dish. In Clinical Science volume 131, issue 15, Steinbach et al. describe new approach to studying human vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) pathophysiology by examining VSMCs differentiated from progenitors found in skin (see pages 1801-1814).Close Modal
Commentary|
July 07 2017
Muscling in on mitochondrial sexual dimorphism; role of mitochondrial dimorphism in skeletal muscle health and disease
Gareth A. Nye;
Gareth A. Nye
1Manchester Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, University of Manchester M13 9WL, U.K.
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Giorgos K. Sakellariou;
Giorgos K. Sakellariou
2GeneFirst Ltd, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 3DB, U.K.
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Hans Degens;
Hans Degens
3School of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M1 5GD, U.K.
4Institute of Sport Science and Innovation, Lithuanian Sports University, Kaunas, Lithuania
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Adam P. Lightfoot
3School of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M1 5GD, U.K.
Correspondence: Adam P. Lightfoot (A.Lightfoot@mmu.ac.uk)
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Clin Sci (Lond) (2017) 131 (15): 1919–1922.
Article history
Received:
April 13 2017
Revision Received:
June 13 2017
Accepted:
June 13 2017
Connected Content
This is a commentary on:
Mitochondria: a central target for sex differences in pathologies
Citation
Gareth A. Nye, Giorgos K. Sakellariou, Hans Degens, Adam P. Lightfoot; Muscling in on mitochondrial sexual dimorphism; role of mitochondrial dimorphism in skeletal muscle health and disease. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 August 2017; 131 (15): 1919–1922. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20160940
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