Free-Floating Mitochondria Discovered Circulating in Bloodstream! Are We Breaking the Basic Concepts of Biology?

We all have been taught that Mitochondria are energy-generating powerhouses that are found exclusively inside cells. But, we are in a time, that anything, which was considered as impossible, is now literally possible.

On January 19, 2020, unprecedented study published in the FASEB Journal discovered that mitochondria can also be found floating around on their own in the bloodstream, functioning outside of the cell.


The exact role of these free-floating mitochondria is still unknown. Researchers did not detect any type of membrane around them. They also noticed that these mitochondria move from one cell to another cell under various conditions, suggesting that they may have a role in signalling, inflammatory conditions, tissue injury, and cancer.

This study will not only shed light on additional possible roles of mitochondria, but also open a debate on the evolution of mitochondria.



References

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1096/fj.201901917RR

https://www.labroots.com/trending/genetics-and-genomics/16683/free-floating-mitochondria-found-blood

https://newatlas.com/biology/unexpected-new-component-discovered-bloodstream/

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