AUTHOR=Sprason Charlotte , Tucker Trudy , Clancy David 

TITLE=MtDNA deletions and aging

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging

VOLUME=Volume 5 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging/articles/10.3389/fragi.2024.1359638

DOI=10.3389/fragi.2024.1359638

ISSN=2673-6217

ABSTRACT=Ageing is the major risk factor in most of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, yet the fundamental causes mostly remain unclear. One of the clear hallmarks of ageing is mitochondrial dysfunc�on. Mitochondria are best known for their roles in cellular energy genera�on but are also cri�cal biosynthe�c and signalling organelles. They also undergo mul�ple changes with organismal age, including increased gene�c errors in their independent, circular genome. A key group of studies looking at mice with increased mtDNA muta�ons showed that premature ageing phenotypes correlated with increased dele�ons but not point muta�ons. This generated interest in mitochondrial dele�ons as a poten�al fundamental cause of ageing. However, subsequent studies in different models have yielded diverse results. This review summarises research on mitochondrial dele�ons in various organisms to understand possible roles in causing ageing whilst iden�fying key complica�ons in quan�fying dele�ons across all models.