Mitochondrial mutations differentially affect aging, mutability and anesthetic sensitivity in Caenorhabditis elegans

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, mutations have been previously isolated that affect the activities of Complex I (gas-1) and Complex II (mev-1), two of the five membrane-bound complexes that control electron flow in mitochondrial respiration. We compared the effects of gas-1 and mev-1 mutations on different traits influenced by mitochondrial function. Mutations in Complex I and II both increased sensitivity to free radicals as measured during development and in aging animals. However, gas-1 and mev-1 mutations differentially affected mutability and anesthetic sensitivity. Specifically, gas-1 was anesthetic hypersensitive but not hypermutable while mev-1 was hypermutable but displayed normal responses to anesthetics. These results indicate that Complexes I and II may differ in their effects on behavior and development, and are consistent with the wide variation in phenotypes that result from mitochondrial changes in other organisms.