{"id":2982682,"date":"2023-10-05T11:01:53","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T15:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.futurity.org\/?p=2982682"},"modified":"2023-10-05T11:01:53","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T15:01:53","slug":"organelles-form-function-actuator-2982682-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.futurity.org\/organelles-form-function-actuator-2982682-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Test clarifies form and function in organelles"},"content":{"rendered":"
Scientists have long understood that parts of cells, called organelles, evolved to have certain shapes and sizes because their forms are closely related to how they function. Now, researchers have developed a bacteria-based tool to test whether, as the axiom goes, form follows function.<\/p>\n
The tool, which researchers say may someday have practical applications in treating illness, works by precisely targeting and dismantling the outer membrane surrounding organelles, and is being made freely available to other scientists. In an interesting twist, say the researchers, the tool may also be able to dismantle aggregated proteins in cells that often characterize neurodegenerative conditions, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).<\/p>\n