Optimization of glioma lines mitochondrial isolation

• Grant number: 15/10163-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2015
• End date: May 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biology
• Principal Investigator: Suely Kazue Nagahashi Marie
• Grantee: Juliana Kapczynski dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/02162-8 - Molecular pathogenesis and characterization of monogenic developmental diseases: a route to translational medicine, AP.TEM

Abstract

Mitochondria is the responsible organelle for energy generation in eukaryote organisms and cellular homeostasis, because it participates of the basal operations of the organism. Therefore, a disfunction of this organelle may be associated to the development and the progression of several diseases. Methylation, an epigenetic process common to the nuclear DNA, was also identified in the mitochondrial DNA and it is related to factors like malnutrition and neurologic diseases as Parkinson, Alzheimer, dementia and even cancer. Astrocytomas are glial cancers classified into four stages, being the most aggressive the glioblastoma. Previous data from our laboratory showed that the number of mitochondrial DNA copy is altered in glioblastomas. Thus, now we intend to isolate mitochondria from different cell lines in order to compare among them the mass of organelles and the concentration and purity of the DNA extracted from the same cell concentration. So, in the future, it may be possible to investigate the mitochondrial DNA methylation.