[Abstract unavailable

SummaryA decline in mitochondrial function plays a key role in the aging process and increases the incidence of age-related disorders. A deeper understanding of the intricate nature of mitochondrial dynamics, which is described as the balance between mitochondrial fusion and fission, has revealed that functional and structural alterations in mitochondrial morphology are important factors in several key pathologies associated with aging. Indeed, a recent wave of studies has demonstrated the pleiotropic role of fusion and fission proteins in numerous cellular processes, including mitochondrial metabolism, redox signaling, the maintenance of mitochondrial DNA and cell death. Additionally, mitochondrial fusion and fission, together with autophagy, have been proposed to form a quality-maintenance mechanism that facilitates the removal of damaged mitochondria from the cell, a process that is particularly important to forestall aging. Thus, dysfunctional regulation of mitochondrial dynamics might be one of the intrinsic causes of mitochondrial dysfunction, which contributes to oxidative stress and cell death during the aging process. In this Commentary, we discuss recent studies that have converged at a consensus regarding the involvement of mitochondrial dynamics in key cellular processes, and introduce a possible link between abnormal mitochondrial dynamics and aging. Journal of Cell Science (Chen and Chan, 2009). However, the relevance of mitochondrial fusion and fission to underlying mechanisms of aging has not been fully appreciated, in part because the molecular events that underlie the aging process have not yet been completely elucidated. In this Commentary, we discuss current knowledge of mitochondrial dynamics, structure and function in relation to key cellular events, including mitochondrial biogenesis, mtDNA homeostasis, autophagy and cell death. By providing a basic overview of mitochondrial fusion and fission events and their general function in these crucial biological processes during normal stable environmental conditions, we hope to portray how alterations in mitochondrial dynamics can contribute to the mitochondrial dysfunction that is commonly associated with aging. Mechanisms underlying mitochondrial dynamicsMitochondria are highly complex and dynamic organelles that can alter their organization, shape and size, depending on intracellular and extracellular signals (Bereiter-Hahn and Voth, 1994;Rube and van der Bliek, 2004). Mitochondria undergo a continuous cycle of fusion and fission, and the balance between these opposing events determines the morphology of the organelle (Chen and Chan, 2004) (Fig. 2). Whereas decreased fusion can result in mitochondrial fragmentation because of excessive fission, decreased fission can generate long and highly interconnected mitochondria (Sesaki and Jensen, 1999).During the past decade, various cellular components have been identified as key mediators of mitochondrial fusion and fission in yeast (Hoppins et al., 2007;Merz et al., 2007;Okamoto and Shaw, 2005). The...

Summary Age-related loss of muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia) leads to a decline in physical function and frailty in the elderly. Among the many proposed underlying causes of sarcopenia, mitochondrial dysfunction is inherent in a variety of aged tissues. The intent of this study was to examine the effect of aging on key groups of regulatory proteins involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and how this relates to physical performance in two groups of sedentary elderly participants, classified as high- and low-functioning based on the Short Physical Performance Battery test. Muscle mass was decreased by 38% and 30% in low-functioning elderly (LFE) participants when compared to young and high-functioning elderly (HFE) participants, respectively, and positively correlated to physical performance. Mitochondrial respiration in permeabilized muscle fibers was reduced (41%) in the LFE group when compared to the young, and this was associated with a 30% decline in COX activity. Levels of key metabolic regulators, SIRT3 and PGC-1α were significantly reduced (50%) in both groups of elderly participants when compared to young. Similarly, the fusion protein OPA1 was lower in muscle from elderly subjects, however no changes were detected in Mfn2, Drp1 or Fis1 among the groups. In contrast, protein import machinery (PIM) components Tom22 and cHsp70 were increased in the LFE group when compared to the young. This study suggests that aging in skeletal muscle is associated with impaired mitochondrial function and altered biogenesis pathways, and that this may contribute to muscle atrophy and the decline in muscle performance observed in the elderly population.

The transcriptional coactivator the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) has been identified as an important mediator of mitochondrial biogenesis based on its ability to interact with transcription factors that activate nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial proteins. The induction of PGC-1alpha protein expression under conditions that provoke mitochondrial biogenesis, such as contractile activity or thyroid hormone (T(3)) treatment, is not fully characterized. Thus we related PGC-1alpha protein expression to cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity in 1) tissues of varying oxidative capacities, 2) tissues from animals treated with T(3), and 3) skeletal muscle subject to contractile activity both in cell culture and in vivo. Our results demonstrate a strong positive correlation (r = 0.74; P < 0.05) between changes in PGC-1alpha and COX activity, used as an index of mitochondrial adaptations. The highest constitutive levels of PGC-1alpha were found in the heart, whereas the lowest were measured in fast-twitch white muscle and liver. T(3) increased PGC-1alpha content similarly in both fast- and slow-twitch muscle, as well as in the liver, but not in heart. T(3) also induced early (6 h) increases in AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPKalpha) activity, as well as later (5 day) increases in p38 MAP kinase activity in slow-twitch, but not in fast-twitch, muscle. Contractile activity provoked early increases in PGC-1alpha, coincident with increases in mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam), and nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1) protein expression, suggesting that PGC-1alpha is physiologically important in coordinating the expression of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Ca(2+) ionophore treatment of muscle cells led to an approximately threefold increase in PGC-1alpha protein, and contractile activity induced rapid and marked increases in both p38 MAP kinase and AMPKalpha activities. 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-d-ribofuranoside (AICAR) treatment of muscle cells also led to parallel increases in AMPKalpha activity and PGC-1alpha protein levels. These data are consistent with observations that indicate that increases in PGC-1alpha protein are affected by Ca(2+) signaling mechanisms, AMPKalpha activity, as well as posttranslational phosphorylation events that increase PGC-1alpha protein stability. Our data support a role for PGC-1alpha in the physiological regulation of mitochondrial content in a variety of tissues and suggest that increases in PGC-1alpha expression form part of a unifying pathway that promotes both T(3)- and contractile activity-induced mitochondrial adaptations.