New link between calcium and cardiolipin in heart defects

To function properly, the heart needs energy from cells' powerhouses, the mitochondria. In turn, mitochondria boost their energy output when calcium levels rise around them, a signal that more energy is needed. A new study shows that a shortage of cardiolipin, a type of fat, in the mitochondrial membrane, prevents calcium from entering mitochondria. The result helps explain heart and muscle weakness in the rare genetic disorder Barth syndrome.

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