You may have billions and billions of good reasons for being unfit

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Although our chromosomes are relatively stable within our lifetimes, the genetic material found in our mitochondria is highly variable across individuals and may impact upon human health, say researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital.Genomes are changing, not just from generation to generation, but even and in fact within our individual cells. The researchers are the first to identify the extent to which the editing processes of RNA code can vary across a large number of individuals.”Mitochondria are the power stations of our cells, and the more power a cell needs, such as a muscle cell, the more mitochondria it has. Mitochondria are organelles in our cells with their own genetic code, separate from the DNA in our chromosomes, and the many mitochondria in the same individual can have different genetic mutations,” explained Alan Hodgkinson, who is first author of the study. “The many mitochondria in the same cell can have different genetic mutations. Our research helps us to understand how variable mitochondrial RNA processing can be and what the possible consequences of that might be on health.” By way of example, the researchers have found an association between the level of modification of RNA and our basal metabolic rate — the rate at which we are able to convert food into energy to power our bodies. The findings add extra layers of complexity to our understanding of how genetics influence our health.The study was made possible thanks to the participation of nearly 40,000 Quebecers in the CARTaGENE initiative. CARTaGENE is one of the world’s most comprehensive banks of genetic information: in addition to genetic information, participants share their health history, residential information, ethnicity, languages spoken and their family history of disease. Philip Awadalla is Director of the CARTaGENE initiative and lead author of the study. “The people of Quebec want to take part in science,” he said. “This program is unique in the world. …


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