title: Mitochondrial electron transport chain functions in long-lived Ames dwarf mice.
abstract: The age-associated decline in tissue function has been attributed to ROS-mediated oxidative damage due to mitochondrial dysfunction. The long-lived Ames dwarf mouse exhibits resistance to oxidative stress, a physiological characteristic of longevity. It is not known, however, whether there are differences in the electron transport chain (ETC) functions in Ames tissues that are associated with their longevity. In these studies we analyzed enzyme activities of ETC complexes, CI-CV and the coupled CI-CII and CII-CIII activities of mitochondria from several tissues of young, middle aged and old Ames dwarf mice and their corresponding wild type controls to identify potential mitochondrial prolongevity functions. Our studies indicate that post-mitotic heart and skeletal muscle from Ames and wild-type mice show similar changes in ETC complex activities with aging, with the exception of complex IV. Furthermore, the kidney, a slowly proliferating tissue, shows dramatic differences in ETC functions unique to the Ames mice. Our data show that there are tissue specific mitochondrial functions that are characteristic of certain tissues of the long-lived Ames mouse. We propose that this may be a factor in the determination of extended lifespan of dwarf mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, 77555, USA.
authors.forename: Kashyap B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Choksi
authors.forename: Jonathan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Nuss
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: DeFord
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Papaconstantinou
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004392:Dwarfism; D045222:Electron Transport Chain Complex Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000201:enzymology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008929:Mitochondria, Heart / Q000378:metabolism*; D008931:Mitochondria, Muscle / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation
chemical_list: D045222:Electron Transport Chain Complex Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C102134:Prophet of Pit-1 protein