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To date, three of the thirteen OXPHOS genes still encoded in the mitochondria have been allotopically expressed (AE) in human cells with mutated versions of the same gene, thereby rescuing a respiratory defect. Now we have the first report of a new gene, COX2, being allotopically expressed in yeast, by mutating the gene to overcome the hydrophobicity of the mitochondrial membrane; a similar mutation has been shown to underlie the ability of the unusual case of the soybean COX2, which is a case of a native nuclear-encoded COX2 gene.

Intravenously delivered immunoglobulin G (IVIgG) is a mixture of antibodies extracted from human blood which has demonstrated promising preliminary results in clearing the beta-amyloid (Abeta) deposits that drive the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. A recent study compares multiple commercial sources of IVIgG and finds significant differences in their Abeta-binding activity, suggesting that results from impending clinical trials are likely to be highly dependent on the specific “brand” of IVIgG in use.