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Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and Aging in the Filamentous Fungus Podospora anserina
Author(s) -
OSIEWACZ HEINZ D.,
BORGHOUTS CORINA
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb06633.x
Subject(s) - podospora anserina , mitochondrial dna , oxidative stress , biology , reactive oxygen species , mutant , mitochondrion , oxidative phosphorylation , fungus , filamentous fungus , dna damage , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , biochemistry , dna , botany
A bstract : In the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina , mitochondrial oxidative stress is a major contributor to aging. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated as a result of electron leakage during respiration lead to damage of components of the electron transport chain. In aging wild‐type cultures, damaged proteins cannot be replaced because the mitochondrial genes encoding some of the corresponding subunits gradually become deleted from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Consequently, these defects result in an increased generation of reactive oxygen species and respiration deficits leading to cell death. Analyses of wild‐type strains and of different long‐lived mutants of P. anserina provide strong evidence that molecular mechanisms controlling aging processes in this fungus are complex and act at different levels. A basic mechanism (e.g., damage by ROS) appears to be overlaid by prominent instabilities of the mtDNA.