Aging-Induced Alterations in Gene Transcripts and Functional Activity of Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation Complexes in the Heart

Aging is associated with progressive decline in energetic reserves compromising cardiac performance and tolerance to injury. Although deviations in mitochondrial functions have been documented in senescent heart, the molecular bases for the decline in energy metabolism are only partially understood. High-throughput transcription profiles of genes coding for mitochondrial proteins in ventricles from adult and aged rats were compared using microarray analysis. The expression profile of genes encoding proteins for mitochondrial substrate metabolism and OxPhos, including subunits of the electron transport chain (ETC) complexes and mitochondrial F0F1 ATP synthase were characterized in ventricles from adult (6 month old) and aged (24 month old) rats using high throughput microarray (Rat Genome 230 2.0 arrays) and verified by RT-PCR.