Testing mitochondrial metabolic competence by cytochrome oxidase preferential cytochemistry versus immunoreactivity of subunits I and IV

• Published in: Rejuvenation research Vol. 9; no. 2; p. 215
• Main Authors: Fattoretti, Patrizia, Balietti, Marta, Giorgetti, Belinda, Grossi, Yessica, Casoli, Tiziana, Di Stefano, Giuseppina, Bertoni-Freddari, Carlo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-06-2006
• Subjects: Aging - physiology; Animals; Cell Nucleus; Cerebellum - enzymology; Electron Transport Complex IV - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Hippocampus - enzymology; Histocytochemistry; Mitochondria - enzymology; Mitochondria - genetics; Neurons - enzymology; Rats; Rats, Wistar
• ISSN: 1549-1684
• DOI: 10.1089/rej.2006.9.215

Cytochemically evidenced COX activity was compared with levels of immunohistochemically stained mitochondrial- and nuclear-encoded subunits (CO I and CO IV) in the dentate gyrus outer molecular layer (OML) and cerebellar granular layer (GL) of adult and old rats. COX activity decreased significantly in aging, whereas CO I and CO IV levels were significantly increased both in GL and OML of old animals. These findings suggest that the age-related decay of the mitochondrial metabolic competence is not caused by a reduction of COX subunits levels, but causal events affecting mitochondria as discrete morphofunctional units of the cellular bioenergetic machinery.