Effects of Chronological Age on Mitochondrial DNA Deletions in Muscle and Blood of Older Individuals

It is suggested that oxygen free radicals are responsible for the age-associated decline in cellular functions. The oxygen free radicals released by the mitochondria causes DNA deletions. In addition, the mitochondrial genome is extremely susceptible to DNA deletions. In recent years, a number of studies have been able to detect mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions in various tissues from older individuals. However, these studies were not longitudinal designs, and blood was never used as a source of the DNA. This book therefore, presents a study with novel approaches to mimic the benefits of a longitudinal study to establish mtDNA deletions as a sensitive, specific and stable biomarker for studying the aging process. The book also demonstrates that mtDNA deletions can be found in tissue such as blood. Furthermore, the book confirmed that the 4977-bp deletion can be found for the first time in infants, suggesting factors other than age may be responsible for the deletion. The book presents a literature review and the limitations of existing materials as it relates to aging and mtDNA deletions. The book also outlines a method as well as a result and a discussion section. This book should be especially useful to students, researchers and professionals in the area of aging and mtDNA or anyone else in the field of molecular biology.