The role of mitochondria in aging
Ji Yong Jang, Arnon Blum, Jie Liu, Toren Finkel
Ji Yong Jang, Arnon Blum, Jie Liu, Toren Finkel
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The role of mitochondria in aging

Abstract

The biological basis of human aging remains one of the greatest unanswered scientific questions. Increasing evidence, however, points to a role for alterations in mitochondrial function as a potential central regulator of the aging process. Here, we focus primarily on three aspects of mitochondrial biology that link this ancient organelle to how and why we age. In particular, we discuss the role of mitochondria in regulating the innate immune system, the mechanisms linking mitochondrial quality control to age-dependent pathology, and the possibility that mitochondrial-to-nuclear signaling might regulate the rate of aging.

Authors

Ji Yong Jang, Arnon Blum, Jie Liu, Toren Finkel

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Figure 3

A range of quality control mechanisms exist to deal with stress in the mitochondria.

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A range of quality control mechanisms exist to deal with stress in the m...
The magnitude of these mechanisms ranges in accordance with the severity of the perceived stress. From lowest to highest magnitude of response, they include activation of the UPRmt to initiate a transcriptional program to potentially relieve the stress; removal of part of the mitochondria into a mitochondrial-derived vesicle (MDV) in hopes of preserving the undamaged part; activation of mitophagy to remove the entire damaged mitochondria; and induction of cell death through apoptosis or necrosis to remove the entire damaged cell. As such, the magnitude of response can be titrated to the level of perceived stress.