Reseachers discover cell oxygen secrets

Researchers in Baltimore say they've figured out how cells are able to react quickly to changes in oxygen levels. The report, published in the journal Cell, says when oxygen is scarce, cells appear to adjust by replacing one protein with an energy-efficient substitute that "is specialized to keep the motor running smoothly even as it begins to run out of gas," said Dr. Gregg Semenza, professor of pediatrics and director of the vascular biology program in the Institute for Cell Engineering at John Hopkins. "This is one way that cells maintain energy production under less than ideal conditions." Semenza said in a release that the energy in a cell's mitochondria is produced by passing electrons through a series of relay stations called cytochromes until they eventually join with oxygen to form water.... Whole article "www.sciencedaily.com":[ http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070406-22301800-bc-us-oxygen.xml]

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