Mitochondrial DNA m.3243A>G heteroplasmy affects multiple aging phenotypes and risk of mortality
Gregory J. Tranah, Shana M. Katzman, Kevin Lauterjung, Kristine Yaffe, Todd M. Manini, Stephen Kritchevsky, Anne B. Newman, Tamara B. Harris, Steven R. Cummings
Abstract
Mitochondria contain many copies of a circular DNA molecule (mtDNA), which has been observed as a mixture of normal and mutated states known as heteroplasmy. Elevated heteroplasmy at a single mtDNA site, m.3243A > G, leads to neurologic, sensory, movement, metabolic, and cardiopulmonary impairments. We measured leukocyte mtDNA m.3243A > G heteroplasmy in 789 elderly men and women from the bi-racial, population-based Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study to identify associations with age-related functioning and mortality. Mutation burden for the m.3243A > G ranged from 0–19% and elevated heteroplasmy was associated with reduced strength, cognitive, metabolic, and cardiovascular functioning. Risk of all-cause, dementia and stroke mortality was significantly elevated for participants in the highest tertiles of m.3243A > G heteroplasmy. These results indicate that the accumulation of a rare genetic disease mutation, m.3243A > G, manifests as several aging outcomes and that some diseases of aging may be attributed
Free Paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6082898/
Mitochondrial DNA m.13514G>A heteroplasmy is associated with depressive symptoms in the elderly
Gregory J. Tranah, Jeanne E. Maglione, Kristine Yaffe, Shana M. Katzman, Todd M. Manini, Stephen Kritchevsky, Anne B. Newman, Tamara B. Harris, Steven R. Cummings for the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study
Corresponding Author
E-mail address:gtranah@sfcc‐cpmc.netE-mail address:[email protected]LA Eye Center and Clinic, Los Angeles, CA, USAAbstract
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) heteroplasmy is a mixture of normal and mutated mtDNA molecules in a cell. High levels of heteroplasmy at several mtDNA sites in complex I lead to inherited neurological neurologic diseases and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities. Here, we test the hypothesis that mtDNA heteroplasmy at these complex I sites is associated with depressive symptoms in the elderly.
We examined platelet mtDNA heteroplasmy for associations with depressive symptoms among 137 participants over age 70 from the community-based Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-point version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 10). Complete mtDNA sequencing was performed and heteroplasmy derived for 5 mtDNA sites associated with neurologic mitochondrial diseases and tested for associations with depressive symptoms.
Of 5 candidate complex I mtDNA mutations examined for effects on depressive symptoms, increased heteroplasmy at m.13514A>G, ND5, was significantly associated with higher CES-D score (P = .01). A statistically significant interaction between m.13514A > G heteroplasmy and sex was detected (P = .04); in sex-stratified analyses, the impact of m.13514A>G heteroplasmy was stronger in male (P = .003) than in female (P = .98) participants. Men in highest tertile of mtDNA heteroplasmy exhibited significantly higher (P = .0001) mean ± SE CES-D 10 scores, 5.37 ± 0.58, when compared with those in the middle, 2.13 ± 0.52, and lowest tertiles, 2.47 ± 0.58. No associations between the 4 other candidate sites and depressive symptoms were observed.
Increased mtDNA heteroplasmy at m.13514A>G is associated with depressive symptoms in older men. Heteroplasmy may represent a novel biological risk factor for depression
Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.4928