Mitochondrial DNA and Ageing

Mitochondrial DNA is a separate genome located in the cytoplasm of nearly all eukaryotic cells.Itsimportance in developmental outcome has often been neglected. However, its transmission and replicationare strictly regulated during early development, as they are integral to the viability and health of theoffspring.The accumulation of mitochondrial DNA mutations has been proposed as a potential mechanismin the physiological process of ageing and age-related disease. Although mitochondria have long beenanticipated as a perpetrator of ageing, there was little experimental evidence to link these changes directlywith the cellular pathology of ageing. Recently, considerable progress in understanding basic mitochondrialgenetics and in identifying acquired mtDNA mutations in ageing has been made. Furthermore, the creationof mtDNA-mutator mice has provided the first direct evidence that accelerating the mtDNA mutation canresult in premature ageing, consistent with the view that loss of mitochondrial function is a major causalfactor in ageing. This review will, therefore, focus on recent developments in ageing research related to therole played by mitochondrial DNA.