Somatic mitochondrial DNA mutations do not increase neuronal vulnerability to MPTP in young POLG mutator mice.

ABSTRACT: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are hypothesized to play a pathogenic role in aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). In support of this, high levels of somatic mtDNA mutations in “POLG mutator” mice carrying a proofreading-deficient form of mtDNA polymerase ã (Polg(D257A)) lead to a premature aging phenotype. However, the relevance of this finding to the normal aging process has been questioned as the number of mutations is greater even in young POLG mutator mice, which shows no overt phenotype, than levels achieved during normal aging in mice. Vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) increases with age, and we hypothesized that this may result in part from the accumulation with age of so

SUBMITTER: Dai Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4293310 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature