Influence of aging on protein import into cardiac mitochondria

This study was undertaken to determine whether age-related changes in the content and composition of cardiac mitochondria could be due, in part, to alterations in mitochondrial protein import. Precursor proteins malate dehydrogenase and ornithine carbamoyltransferase were synthesized by in vitro transcription and translation and were incubated with mitochondria isolated from the hearts of young (4-mo), old (22-mo), and senescent (28-mo) rats. Mitochondria from senescent animals exhibited a twofold higher import rate of both precursors into the matrix compartment compared with mitochondria from young and old animals. The expression of glucose regulated protein 75 and heat shock protein 60, two matrix chaperonins that are essential for import, was elevated in the mitochondria of both old and senescent animals before the observed changes in import. Import was equally affected in senescent and young heart mitochondria by inhibition of cardiolipin, a mitochondrial phospholipid involved in protein translocation. The results indicate that the altered mitochondrial phenotype evident in the aging myocardium cannot be accounted for by reduced rates of protein import. Furthermore, levels of cardiolipin and matrix chaperonins do not appear to be rate-limiting steps in the import process. These data suggest that the protein import step of mitochondrial assembly is subject to adaptations under pathophysiological conditions.