[Protein oxidation in the aging of skin fibroblasts]

The ageing process is accompanied by enhanced oxidative damage. All cellular components including proteins are affected by oxidation. Within the cell, the proteasome is responsible for the degradation of these oxidised proteins. During the ageing process this function of the proteasome is increasingly diminished, therefore oxidised proteins accumulate. Furthermore lipofuscin, a highly cross-linked and modified protein aggregate, is formed. This aggregate accumulates within cells and is able to inhibit the proteasome. The nucleus of the cells is less affected by these changes due to the lack of intranuclear lipofuscin accumulation.