Mitochondrial DNA Alterations in Aging

摘要

During the aging process, the increase of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) alterations has been reported. In this study, we investigated deletions/insertions in the ～ 2.4-kb region (from 14680 to 578 bp) of mtDNA covering D-loop region. A total of 96 individuals (ages between 20 and 94 years) were screened in this study. Genomic DNA was purified from whole blood samples. The 2.4-kb region of mtDNA was amplified with PCR and visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis. The sequence of the amplicon was confirmed in one sample by sequencing. We detected mtDNA deletions in only two cases (ages 26 and 30 years) at this resolution. As a result, there is no increase in the major deletions/insertions in the analyzed mtDNA region with aging. Complete sequencing of this region is needed to detect any age-dependent changes.