Mammalian Aging: Can Human Longevity be Increased?

Mammalian Aging
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Mammalian Aging
Aging is an organic process that makes all animals to grow old. Hypotheses have it that mutations in the mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA accumulate in the body tissues and initiate the aging process. Mutations cause mitochondrial dysfunction that results in aging. Scientists have knowledge of the aging of two specific mammals that are mice and humans. Aging humans have the characteristics of high levels of somatic mtDNA. On the other hand, experimental evidence from mice proves that a mouse that experiences a deficiency of mitochondrial DNA polymerase accumulates mtDNA and show characteristics of accelerated aging. The causes of difference in aging of animals relate to their ancestors but differ with their close kingdom associates such as reptiles and amphibians. The phenotype of aging in animals is similar in most if not all animals (Finch & Austad, 2012).
Research does not associate mtDNA with elevated defects in the proliferation of cells or levels of oxidative stress, but they induce apoptotic markers in the body tissues that cause a rapid turnover in cells. The experiment with mice found that levels of apoptotic markers increase with aging in mice. Therefore, the accumulation of mtDNA that initiate apoptosis is the central mechanism causing mammalian aging. The proposed genetic model for aging in mice and humans is that accumulation of somatic mtDNA and other cell types respiratory dysfunction of the chains initiates a variety of phenotypes that cause...