Age-dependent changes of the protein synthetic machinery of liver cell cytoplasm as revealed by electron microscopic morphometry.
Complete electron microscopic morphometric explorations of the liver were carry out in groups of 5 each young, adult and old female Wistar rats. In addition, livers were studied 1, 5, 10, 20 days after 2/3 hepatectomy in old rats. Characteristic age-dependent change: Decrease of the surface density of total endoplasmic reticulums between 1 and 12--27 months of age. After the partial hepatectomy the regenerated old liver "shows a certain" rejuvenation. The results suggest the validity of the theory of accumulation of somatic mutations during aging.
D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D051381:Rats