By Irene Hsiao
The dysfunction of lysosomes, organelles that engulf and degrade nutrients and cell debris in most living cells, is associated with several human ailments, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, as well as certain rare genetic disorders. Although lysosomes are by and large considered as a single population, recent studies suggest that there might be subpopulations of lysosomes. In "A DNA nanomachine chemically resolves lysosomes in live cells," published 3 December 2018 in Nature Nanotechnology, postdoc KaHo Leung, graduate students Kasturi Chakraborty and Anand Saminathan, and Professor Yamuna Krishnan use a DNA-based sensor to simultaneously measure levels of protons and chloride ions in lysosomes. Using this new technology the Krishnan lab identifies two different populations of lysosomes in cells of normal individuals, one of which is absent in cells derived from patients with Niemann-Pick disease. Treating diseased cells with the right therapeutic restores the lysosome distribution to that of healthy cells. This new technology can be used for cell-based drug screening assays for neurodegenerative diseases.