Effects of the mitochondrial respiratory chain on longevity in C. elegans.

摘要: How an organism ages is a question that has fascinated biologists, and the elderly, for centuries. One useful approach to understanding complex processes such as aging study genetic variation in model organisms nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Classical mutant strains RNAi screens have demonstrated mitochondrial function major factor affecting longevity. Recent advances biochemical methods studying functions extended usefulness of C. elegans deciphering molecular mechanisms by which mitochondria determine lifespan. Defects all complexes respiratory chain been described varied effects on The phenotypes these mutants indicate locality, production rate, and/or steady-state level reactive oxygen species (ROS) defining lifespan-determining mutants. Mutants enzymes involved ROS scavenging also described, superoxide dismutases, reveal connection between Energy balance, transcriptional signaling pathways, stress tolerance, metabolic restructuring are tied ROS, may play roles mutants' altered lifespans. In this review, we discuss how findings with genetics extend our contributions process aging.