ACCUMULATION OF DELETIONS IN HUMAN MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA DURING NORMAL AGING - ANALYSIS BY QUANTITATIVE PCR

We have developed a quantitative PCR technique to measure the amount of a specific mitochondrial DNA deletion (DELTAmtDNA), the so-called 'common deletion', in human tissues. Using this method, we estimate that there is a 10000-fold increase in this DELTAmtDNA species in muscle during the course of the normal human lifespan. The maximum amount of common deletion observed in aged muscle was approx. 0.1%. Tissues that turn-over slowly, such as skeletal muscle and heart, contained more DELTAmtDNA than more rapidly dividing tissues, such as liver, in agreement with studies performed by others.