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29 October 2026
Maintaining Nervous Energy
Breaking down dietary fatty acids by oxidation happens in the outer membrane of mitochondria providing energy for the cell. While known to be vital for developing neurons, what the protein MCL-1 was doing in this context wasn't fully known. Here, using means including focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) in cells with and without MCL-1 it's revealed that MCL-1 maintains the mitochondrial ultrastructure and identity (determined by presence of certain marker molecules) of neural progenitor cells, thereby sustaining fatty acid oxidation and energy release
Read the published research article here
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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.
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