Catalina Vasilescu, PhD

Structural basis for promoter recognition and transcription factor binding and release in human mitochondria Transcription in human mitochondria is driven by a core apparatus consisting of a Pol A family RNA polymerase (mtRNAP), the initiation factors TFAM an…

Structural basis for promoter recognition and transcription factor binding and release in human mitochondria - ScienceDirect
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Oligomer-based functions of mitochondrial porin - Nature Communications Cryo-EM structure of yeast Por1 hexamer reveals functions beyond metabolite and ion transport, including regulation of protein import via Tom22, maintaining lipid composition through scramblase activi...

Oligomer-based functions of mitochondrial porin | Nature Communications
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Metabolic Adaptation of Regenerative Hematopoiesis Depends on Docking-Independent Mitochondrial Connexin-43 Key Points. Antioxidant activity of Cx43 depends on its autonomous activity in mitochondria of hematopoietic stem cells and multipotential progenitors.Cx43

Metabolic Adaptation of Regenerative Hematopoiesis Depends on Docking-Independent Mitochondrial Connexin-43 | Blood | American Society of Hematology
ashpublications.org/blood/articl...

Opantimirs: A class of antagonizing microRNAs that upregulate Opa1 and improve mitochondrial and disuse myopathies Djalalvandi et al. show that blockers of Opa1-targeting microRNAs found upregulated in diseased skeletal muscle can restore mitochondrial architecture and muscle performance in mitochondrial myopathy ...

Opantimirs: A class of antagonizing microRNAs that upregulate Opa1 and improve mitochondrial and disuse myopathies: Cell Reports Medicine
www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Human mitochondrial RNA polymerase structures reveal transcription start site and slippage mechanism Transcription of the human mitochondrial DNA is initiated by POLRMT and initiation factors mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) and mitochondri…

Human mitochondrial RNA polymerase structures reveal transcription start site and slippage mechanism - ScienceDirect
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

2-hydroxyglutarate mediates whitening of brown adipocytes coupled to nuclear softening upon mitochondrial dysfunction - Nature Metabolism CLPP-deficiency-driven mitochondrial dysfunction in brown adipose tissue leads to the accumulation of d-2-hydroxyglutarate, in turn promoting lipid-droplet enlargement by altering gene expression and ...

Wonderful selection of papers on #MitochondrialDisease from #week31!
biomed.news/bims-mitdis/...

@biomednews.bsky.social @gavinmcstay.bsky.social @mitoscientist.bsky.social

A few highlights below, many more inside!
www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Make an IMPACT - The Lily Foundation Join IMPACT, The Lily Foundation’s virtual committee for those affected by mitochondrial disease. Share your insights to shape research, care and treatments.

Kerry & Jelle discuss developing gene therapies for mitochondrial disease — in collaboration with labs around the world! - Watch the Video
bit.ly/3UCF0kC

🌍Sign up to IMPACT to let your voice be heard
bit.ly/4ohHhiN

PEX39 facilitates the peroxisomal import of PTS2-containing proteins - Nature Cell Biology Chen et al. show that PEX39 cooperates with PEX7 in the peroxisomal import of proteins containing a PTS2 site and uncover an (R/K)PWE motif in PEX39 and PEX13 that binds to PEX7 and facilitates the im...

Our work on new paradigm in peroxisome biogenesis and PEX39 (1st human peroxisomal biogenesis protein (peroxin/PEX) found in > 20 yr) is out in @natcellbio.nature.com! Equal collab w/Tony Rodrigues (Jorge Azevedo lab), @dwendscheck.bsky.social (Bettina Warscheid lab)

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🔊Last weeks #immunometabolism findings
@biomednews.bsky.social ⬇️⬇️⬇️

biomed.news/bims-imicid/...

A large & varied collection this week (1/n)

The essential host genome for Cryptosporidium survival exposes metabolic dependencies that can be leveraged for treatment
sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

An updated inventory of genes essential for oxidative phosphorylation identifies a mitochondrial origin in familial Ménière’s disease Harhai and collaborators expand the catalog of genes essential for oxidative phosphorylation and implicate FAM136A in mitochondrial proteostasis. Their findings suggest a mitochondrial contribution to...

Here it is❗️Our updated inventory of genes required for #OXPHOS & findings on #mito defects in #Menieres is now out at Cell Reports by Cell Press! 🎉
 
Thank you to all of our collaborators and funding sources, this was a great and exciting project from start to finish. 💫

www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Coenzyme Q headgroup intermediates can ameliorate a mitochondrial encephalopathy - Nature Decreased brain coenzyme Q10 levels cause encephalopathy and are associated with neurodegeneration; supplementation with 4-HMA or 4-HB restores coenzyme Q10 synthesis in mice and humans with HPDL vari...

Out now:

rdcu.be/evxCv

We've used CoQ10 headgroup intermediates to treat mouse models of a mitochondrial disease and improve the neurological symptoms of a patient with this disease.

Grateful for funding from @damonrunyon.org , Pershing Square Foundation, @americancancersoc.bsky.social, NIH!

a penguin is floating in the water with the words summer fun ALT: a penguin is floating in the water with the words summer fun

Here is my weekly selection of #anticancer #therapy and #metabolic #reprogramming. 🙏 @biomednews.bsky.social Enjoy and share 😊 biomed.news/bims-meract/...

PNPLA7 is a MAM protein and interacts with Parkin to facilitate mitochondrial translocation of Parkin.

Below is the link to another week of #mitophagy papers! 🔋🗑️

biomed.news/bims-tofagi/...

Thanks to @biomednews.bsky.social for pre-sorting.

This week's highlight:
PNPLA7 is required for the Parkin-dependent mitophagy shut-down that leads to mitochondrial accumulation in adipose tissue browning

Mitophagy in human health, ageing and disease - Nature Metabolism This Review discusses the role of mitophagy in cellular and organismal health and disease, with a specific focus on human ageing and evidence obtained in clinical studies.

#Throwback 🧪

REVIEW | Mitophagy in human health, ageing and disease

L Ferrucci, D D’Amico et al

a woman is sitting in a chair reading a book while a cat watches ALT: a woman is sitting in a chair reading a book while a cat watches

Latest weekly digest is out!

🗓️ July 27edition — featuring the latest in metabolomics and lipidomics.

If you’re an analytical chemist or want to learn about small molecule analysis, this one’s for you.

📖 Read the digest: biomed.news/bims-metlip/...

#metabolomics #lipidomics #massspec #protocols

Kicking off the lab BlueSky with this picture of a happy hairy growing #axon!
Looking forward to connecting with science chats and to growing research ideas 🧠🔬✨

This week's selection of articles on #proteostasis thanks to @biomednews.bsky.social -- biomed.news/bims-proteo/...
Highlight: PERK and IRE1α promote exosome secretion via blocking lysosomal degradation of multiple vesicular body #JBC www.jbc.org/article/S002...

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Good Sunday all. A beautiful selection of papers in #cancermetabolism and #mitochondrialbiology is ready for you here: biomed.news/bims-camemi/... @biomednews.bsky.social #keepreading

"If your eyes are blinded with your worries, you cannot see the beauty of the sunset." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

The mammalian protein MTCH1 can function as an insertase - PubMed The outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) hosts a variety of proteins such as import machineries, enzymes, fission/fusion factors, and pore proteins. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the MIM complex, consist...

The mammalian protein MTCH1 can function as an insertase | Journal of Cell Science | The Company of Biologists
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40704594/

Structure of human mitochondrial pyruvate carrier MPC1 and MPC2 complex The Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier (MPC) bridges cytosolic and mitochondrial metabolism by transporting pyruvate into mitochondria for ATP production and biosynthesis of various essential molecules. M...

Structure of human mitochondrial pyruvate carrier MPC1 and MPC2 complex - PMC
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

TMEM65 functions as the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger - Nature Cell Biology Zhang, Chang et al. identify the protein TMEM65 as the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, showing that it dimerizes to mediate ion transport and contains a binding site for a well-known inhibitor of mi...

TMEM65 functions as the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger | Nature Cell Biology
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

PDK4 and nutrient responses explain muscle specific manifestation in mitochondrial disease Mitochondria elicit various metabolic stress responses, the roles of which in diseases are poorly understood. Here, we explore how different muscles of one individual—extraocular muscles (EOMs) and qu...

PDK4 and nutrient responses explain muscle specific manifestation in mitochondrial disease - PMC @swagatspradhan.bsky.social
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

LONP1 regulation of mitochondrial protein folding provides insight into beta cell failure in type 2 diabetes - Nature Metabolism LONP1, whose expression is downregulated in islets from donors with type 2 diabetes, is vital to mediate efficient mitochondrial protein folding, thus preventing proteotoxicity and promoting islet β c...

LONP1 regulation of mitochondrial protein folding provides insight into beta cell failure in type 2 diabetes | Nature Metabolism
www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Cell type–specific purifying selection of synonymous mitochondrial DNA variation | PNAS While somatic variants are well-characterized drivers of tumor evolution, their influence on cellular fitness in nonmalignant contexts remains unde...

Cell type–specific purifying selection of synonymous mitochondrial DNA variation | PNAS
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Acute-onset axonal neuropathy following infection in children with biallelic RCC1 variants: a case series We describe an autosomal recessive, acute-onset paediatric axonal neuropathy, seemingly triggered by infection, that affects individuals with biallelic RCC1 variants. In these children, the disease ca...

Acute-onset axonal neuropathy following infection in children with biallelic RCC1 variants: a case series - The Lancet Neurology
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Mitochondrial Donation in a Reproductive Care Pathway for mtDNA Disease | NEJM Pathogenic variants in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are a common cause of severe, often fatal, inherited metabolic disease. A reproductive care pathway was implemented to provide women carrying pathog...

#MitochondrialDisease collection of papers from #week30! 📚
biomed.news/bims-mitdis/...

@biomednews.bsky.social @gavinmcstay.bsky.social @mitoscientist.bsky.social

Mitochondrial Donation in a Reproductive Care Pathway for mtDNA Disease | New England Journal of Medicine
www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/...

Happy Sunday! A new issue of #cebooc is here, check it out!

biomed.news/bims-cebooc/...

Highlight: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40696105/ on the metabolic regulation of embryogenesis

Thanks @biomednews.bsky.social for preselecting!

an illustration of a bird holding a stack of books with reading time written above it ALT: an illustration of a bird holding a stack of books with reading time written above it

#Autophagy and #mTOR papers from last week, as always pre-selected by @biomednews.bsky.social, enjoy!

biomed.news/bims-auttor/...

Exploring R and Rust in Bioinformatics – Online Developer Forum, 28 July 2025 – Bioconductor community blog A blog for the Bioconductor community!

🚀 Reminder: Bioconductor Developer Forum is this Monday!

🧵 Topic: R & Rust in Bioinformatics
🗓️ July 28 | 🕚 11am EDT / 5pm CEST
🔗 Details + Zoom: blog.bioconductor.org/posts/2025-0...

#Bioconductor #RStats #RustLang #OpenSource

Really proud of our most recently published work 😊 another installment in the story of the most incredible protein out there: the TOM complex 💜 #powerhouseofthecell Thanks @ahmed-noor-agip.bsky.social for the legendary team work and @lea-dietrich.bsky.social for all the support 💕 #teamCRYO