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Mitochondrial genome and longevity

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Abstract

The mitochondrial genome provides not only respiratory chain function, but it also ensures the impact of mitochondria on nearly all crucial metabolic processes. It is well known that mitochondria regulate aging and lifespan. However, until now there were no direct experimental data concerning the influence of various mitochondrial DNA variants on lifespan of animals with identical nuclear genome. In a recent paper of J. A. Enriquez and coworkers (Latorre-Pellicer, A., et al. (2016) Nature, 535, 561-565), it was shown that mice carrying nuclear DNA from one strain and mitochondrial DNA from another had longer median lifespan and retarded development of various aging traits. This review critically analyzes that paper and considers some aspects of the crosstalk between the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. We also discuss new perspectives of gerontology in the light of the discovery made by Enriquez’s group.

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Abbreviations

mtDNA:

mitochondrial DNA

nDNA:

nuclear DNA

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    R. A. Zinovkin, M. V. Skulachev & V. P. Skulachev

  2. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Institute of Mitoengineering, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    R. A. Zinovkin & M. V. Skulachev

Authors
  1. R. A. Zinovkin
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  2. M. V. Skulachev
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  3. V. P. Skulachev
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Correspondence to R. A. Zinovkin.

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Published in Russian in Biokhimiya, 2016, Vol. 81, No. 12, pp. 1669–1674.

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Zinovkin, R.A., Skulachev, M.V. & Skulachev, V.P. Mitochondrial genome and longevity. Biochemistry Moscow 81, 1401–1405 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0006297916120014

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0006297916120014

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