Key protein drives 'power plants' that fuel cells in heart and other key body systems

(Case Western Reserve University) Case Western Reserve University scientists have discovered that a protein called Kruppel-like Factor 4 (KLF4) controls mitochondria -- the 'power plants' in cells that catalyze energy production. Specifically, they determined KLF4's pivotal role through its absence -- that is, the mitochondria malfunction without enough of the protein, which in turn leads to reduced energy. The researchers' findings appear in the August edition of The Journal of Clinical Investi...