| First Author | Ishii N | Year | 1998 |
| Journal | Nature | Volume | 394 |
| Issue | 6694 | Pages | 694-7 |
| PubMed ID | 9716135 | Mgi Jnum | J:49269 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1277058 | Doi | 10.1038/29331 |
| Citation | Ishii N, et al. (1998) A mutation in succinate dehydrogenase cytochrome b causes oxidative stress and ageing in nematodes [see comments]. Nature 394(6694):694-7 |
| abstractText | Much attention has focused on the aetiology of oxidative damage in cellular and organismal ageing. Especially toxic are the reactive oxygen byproducts of respiration and other biological processes. A mev-1(kn1) mutant of Caenorhabditis elegans has been found to be hypersensitive to raised oxygen concentrations. Unlike the wild type, its lifespan decreases dramatically as oxygen concentrations are increased from 1 to 60%. Strains bearing this mutation accumulate markers of ageing (such as fluorescent materials and protein carbonyls) faster than the wild type. We show here that mev-1 encodes a subunit of the enzyme succinate dehydrogenase cytochrome b, which is a component of complex II of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. We found that the ability of complex II to catalyse electron transport from succinate to ubiquinone is compromised in mev-1 animals. This may cause an indirect increase in superoxide levels, which in turn leads to oxygen hypersensitivity and premature ageing. Our results indicate that mev-1 governs the rate of ageing by modulating the cellular response to oxidative stress. |
