title: Rat liver mitochondrial proteome: changes associated with aging and acetyl-L-carnitine treatment.
abstract: Oxidative stress has a central role in aging and in several age-linked diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and cancer. Mitochondria, as the main cellular source and target of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in aging, are recognized as very important players in the above reported diseases. Impaired mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation has been reported in several aging tissues. Defective mitochondria are not only responsible of bioenergetically less efficient cells but also increase ROS production further contributing to tissues oxidative stress. Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) is a biomolecule able to limit age-linked mitochondrial decay in brain, liver, heart and skeletal muscles by increasing mitochondrial efficiency. Here the global changes induced by aging and by ALCAR supplementation to old rat on the mitochondrial proteome of rat liver has been analyzed by means of the two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Mass spectrometry has been used to identify the differentially expressed proteins. A significant age-related change occurred in 31 proteins involved in several metabolisms. ALCAR supplementation altered the levels of 26 proteins. In particular, ALCAR reversed the age-related alterations of 10 mitochondrial proteins relative to mitochondrial cristae morphology, to the oxidative phosphorylation and antioxidant systems, to urea cycle, to purine biosynthesis.
authors.affiliation: CNR - National Research Council of Italy - Institute of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics, Bari, Italy. c.musicco@ibbe.cnr.it
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Musicco
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Capelli
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pesce
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Timperio
authors.forename: Menotti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calvani
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mosconi
authors.forename: Palmiro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cantatore
authors.forename: Maria Nicola
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Gadaleta
mesh_terms: D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000187:drug effects; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
chemical_list: D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D020543:Proteome; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D000108:Acetylcarnitine