Mitochondria take center stage in aging and neurodegeneration.
A critical role of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage has been hypothesized in both aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Much of the evidence has been correlative, but recent evidence has shown that the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA mutations accelerates normal aging, leads to oxidative damage to nuclear DNA, and impairs gene transcription. Furthermore, overexpression of the antioxidant enzyme catalase in mitochondria increases murine life span. There is strong evidence from genetics and transgenic mouse models that mitochondrial dysfunction results in neurodegeneration and may contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hereditary spastic paraplegia, and cerebellar degenerations. Therapeutic approaches targeting mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage in these diseases therefore have great promise.
Beal
M Flint
MF
Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10021, USA. fbeal@med.cornell.edu
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology*; D017240:Mitochondrial Myopathies / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009154:Mutation; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial