Journal of Applied Genetics 50(1), 2009, pp. 55-62

Mitochondria and aging: innocent bystanders or guilty parties?

Katarzyna Tonska, Aleksandra Solyga, Ewa Bartnik

Abstract: There are many theories of aging and a number of them encompass the role of mitochondria in this process. Mitochondrial DNA mutations and deletions have been shown to accumulate in many tissues in mammals during aging. However, there is little evidence that these mutations could affect the functioning of aging tissues.

Key words: mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA, reactive oxygen species, skin aging.

Correspondence: E. Bartnik, Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; e-mail: ebartnik@igib.uw.edu.pl