"Robert Karl Stonjek"  wrote in
message news:bj7qke$2k7c$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> Stuck on an aging mitochondria
> DNA repair enzymes become trapped in the mitochondrial
membrane as the
> organelle ages
> By David Secko
>
> The mitochondrial theory of aging suggests that DNA damage
in the
> mitochondrial genome leads to dysfunction and production
of reactive oxygen
> species implicated in the aging process. This DNA damage
partly results from
> mutagenic base lesions in the form of
7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) and
> uracil. Cells normally utilize DNA glycosylases, such an
8-oxoguannine-DNA
> glycosylase (OGG1) and uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG), in
the first step of
> repairing such DNA damage. Aging produces high levels of
8-oxoG damage in
> mitochondrial DNA, but the levels and activity of OGG1 are
higher in
> mitochondrial extracts from older rodents. In the
September 1 PNAS, Bartosz
> Szczesny and colleagues at the University of Texas Medical
Branch show that
> this apparent inconsistency is caused by a large fraction
of OGG1 being
> caught in the mitochondrial membrane (PNAS,
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1932854100,
> September 1, 2003).
>
> Read the rest at The Scientist.com
> http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20030903/01
>
> Kind Regards,
> Robert Karl Stonjek.

I saw this article and read it with interest. While I did
not understand all of it, I found it interesting that there
is a Mitochondrial Theory of Ageing at all, and that it is
considered by at least some to be the sole, or at least
primary, basis for ageing. I wonder if it is possible for
the answer to the problem of ageing
to be that simple (well, not exactly simple, but at least
singular.) I suppose I doubt it, but it is nice to imagine
that repairing this one problem could be the answer to the
putative Fountain of Youth. Any other feelings on this?
.....tonyC

>
>
---
þ RIMEGate(tm)/RGXPost V1.14 at BBSWORLD * Info{at}bbsworld.com

---
 * RIMEGate(tm)V10.2áÿ* RelayNet(tm) NNTP Gateway * MoonDog BBS
 * RgateImp.MoonDog.BBS at 9/5/03 3:40:51 PM