RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE

AGING, Vol 2, No 1 , pp 69-73
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Aging: Dial M for Mitochondria

Jae H. Hur1, Jaehyoung Cho1, and David W. Walker1,2
1 Department of Physiological Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
2 Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Running title:
Mitochondrial modulation of lifespan
Key words:
Drosophila, longevity, C. elegans, respiratory chain
Received:
01/14/10; accepted: 01/25/10; published on line: 01/26/10
Correspondence:
E-mail:

Abstract

A major goal of aging research is to identify interventions that prolong lifespan in distantly related organisms. In recent years, genetic studies in both nematodes and rodents have reported that moderate inactivation of genes important for mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) function can promote longevity. We performed an RNAi screen to probe the role of ETC components in modulating lifespan in the fruit flyDrosophila melanogaster. In this Research Perspective, we discuss our findings and how they may relate to similar studies in worms and mice.