Reducing mitochondrial fission results in increased life span and fitness of two fungal ageing models.

Authors: Scheckhuber CQ; Erjavec N; Tinazli A; Hamann A; Nyström T; Osiewacz HD

Abstract: Ageing of biological systems is accompanied by alterations in mitochondrial morphology, including a transformation from networks and filaments to punctuate units. The significance of these alterations with regard to ageing is not known. Here, we demonstrate that the dynamin-related protein 1 (Dnm1p), a mitochondrial fission protein conserved from yeast to humans, affects ageing in the two model systems we studied, Podospora anserina and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Deletion of the Dnm1 gene delays the transformation of filamentous to punctuate mitochondria and retards ageing without impairing fitness and fertility typically observed in long-lived mutants. Our data further suggest that reduced mitochondrial fission extends life span by increasing cellular resistance to the induction of apoptosis and links mitochondrial dynamics, apoptosis and life-span control.

Keywords: Apoptosis; *Cell Aging; DNA, Mitochondrial/metabolism; Fertility; Fungal Proteins/genetics/*metabolism; GTP Phosphohydrolases/genetics/*metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Mitochondria/*metabolism/physiology; Mitochondrial Proteins; Models, Biological; Molecular Sequence Data; Podospora/*growth & development/metabolism; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/*growth & development/metabolism; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/genetics/*metabolism; Two-Hybrid System Techniques
Journal: Nature cell biology
Volume: 9
Issue: 1
Pages: 99-105
Date: Dec. 19, 2006
PMID: 17173038
Select reference article to upload


Citation:

Scheckhuber CQ, Erjavec N, Tinazli A, Hamann A, Nyström T, Osiewacz HD (2007) Reducing mitochondrial fission results in increased life span and fitness of two fungal ageing models. Nature cell biology 9: 99-105.


Study
Update (Admin) | Auto-Update

Comment on This Data Unit