More power to the mitochondria: Cells' energy plant also plays key role in stem cell development

(NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine) Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered that mitochondria, the major energy source for most cells, also play an important role in stem cell development -- a purpose notably distinct from the tiny organelle's traditional job as the cell's main source of the adenosine triphosphate energy needed for routine cell metabolism.