Chemoptogenetic damage to mitochondria causes rapid telomere dysfunction

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/08/22/1910574116.long

Wei Qian, Namrata Kumar, Vera Roginskaya, Elise Fouquerel, Patricia L. Opresko, Sruti Shiva, Simon C. Watkins, Dmytro Kolodieznyi, Marcel P. Bruchez, and Bennett Van Houten

• The authors develop a chemoptogenetic technology to specifically induce mitochondrial reactive oxygen species with precise spatio-temporal control by using light stimulation.
• The authors show that induction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species can result in increased hydrogen peroxide levels inside the nucleus, resulting in telomere loss.