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Measurement of the 4,834-bp Mitochondrial DNA Deletion Level in Aging Rat Liver and Brain Subjected or Not to Caloric Restriction Diet
aDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy bUniversity of Florida, Biochemistry of Aging Laboratory, College of Health and Human Performance, Center for Exercise Science, Gainesville, Florida, USA cInstitute of Biomembrane and Bioenergetics, CNR, Bari, Italy
Address for correspondence: P. Cassano, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. cspr01b1{at}uniba.it Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1019: 269-273 (2004).
Several studies have demonstrated an age-related accumulation of the amount of a specific 4834-bp mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletion in different tissues of rat (liver, brain, and skeletal muscle). We investigated the influence of a caloric restriction diet (CR) on a selected age-associated marker of mtDNA damage, as the 4834-bp deletion, using quantitative real-time PCR. The mtDNA deleted level has been determined with respect to the mitochondrial D-loop level, using specific primers and TaqMan probes for each target. In liver we found an age-related increase of the deletion level (twofold) that was reversed and brought back to the adult level by a CR diet. On the contrary, in the brain the age-related increase of the deletion level (eightfold) was not affected by CR at all. The different effect of the CR on the deletion level in liver and brain might be a further element supporting the tissue-specificity of the aging process.
Key Words: caloric restriction • rat liver • rat brain • skeletal muscle • mitochondrial DNA
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