Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026
10:41
Continuous High-resolution Microscopic Observation of Replicative Aging in Budding Yeast
Published on: August 20, 2013
13.3K
Mitochondrial Metabolism and Aging in Yeast
Giacomo Baccolo1, Giulia Stamerra1, Damiano Pellegrino Coppola2
1SYSBIO Centre for Systems Biology, Milano, Italy; Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology
|August 4, 2018
Summary
Mitochondrial metabolism changes impact cell aging. Understanding the tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and NAD+ metabolism in yeast models can reveal pathways to promote healthy aging and extend lifespan.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Gerontology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key hallmark of aging, impacting cell survival.
- Altered mitochondrial metabolism, including oxidative and biosynthetic pathways, contributes to aging-related malfunctions.
- The link between mitochondrial function and aging is conserved across species, making model organisms valuable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the impact of mitochondrial metabolism on aging.
- To highlight the contributions of yeast models, specifically Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in understanding cellular longevity.
- To explore the roles of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and NAD+ metabolism in aging.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on mitochondrial metabolism and aging.
- Focus on studies utilizing yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) as a model system.
- Analysis of research concerning the tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) metabolism.
Main Results:
- Modulation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation directly affects cellular longevity.
- Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) metabolism is critically linked to mitochondrial functionality during aging.
- Yeast studies provide conserved insights into aging mechanisms relevant to humans.
Conclusions:
- Understanding key mitochondrial metabolic pathways is crucial for developing interventions for healthy aging.
- Targeting mitochondrial metabolism can potentially enhance both quality of life and lifespan.
- Yeast models offer significant contributions to deciphering the complexities of aging at a cellular level.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism
222
Geriatric patients show significant variation in how their bodies process medications, which can change how effective and safe treatments are. The liver is the primary organ where drug metabolism occurs, involving two main types of chemical reactions: phase I and II. Phase I metabolism is driven by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, which includes key types such as CYP3A, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9. Research indicates that while aging doesn't notably alter the levels or activity of these enzymes, it...
222
01:28Yeast Signaling
17.3K
Yeasts are single-celled organisms, but unlike bacteria, they are eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus). Cell signaling in yeast is similar to signaling in other eukaryotic cells. A ligand, such as a protein or a small molecule released from a yeast cell, attaches to a receptor on the cell surface. The binding stimulates second-messenger kinases to activate or inactivate transcription factors that further regulate gene expression. Many of the yeast intracellular signaling cascades have similar...
17.3K
02:59Animal Mitochondrial Genetics
9.3K
Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...
9.3K
00:52What is Metabolism?
132.0K
Overview
132.0K
02:16Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes
16.4K
The present-day mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have retained some of the characteristics of their ancestral prokaryotes and also have acquired new attributes during their evolution within eukaryotic cells. Like prokaryotic genomes, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes neither bind with histone-like proteins nor show complex packaging into chromosome-like structures, as observed in eukaryotes. Unlike mitotic cell divisions observed in eukaryotic cells, mitochondria and chloroplasts...
16.4K
01:26Aging
713
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
713