title: Decrease of D-loop frequency in heart and cerebral hemispheres mitochondrial DNA of aged rat.
abstract: A quantitative analysis of the frequency of the supercoiled mitochondrial DNA molecules containing the D-loop in rat heart and cerebral hemispheres, at different ages, is presented. Both tissues of aged animals exhibit a remarkable reduction in the content of super-coiled D-loop containing molecules compared to the adults. This alteration could be responsible for the age-dependent reduction of mitochondrial DNA transcription previously observed in rat brain and heart.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Petruzzella
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fracasso
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Gadaleta
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cantatore
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000378:metabolism*; D004278:DNA, Superhelical / Q000378:metabolism*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D008929:Mitochondria, Heart / Q000378:metabolism*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004278:DNA, Superhelical