AN INVESTIGATION OF MUTATION AS A FUNCTION OF AGE IN HUMANS

An accumulation of mutations on their own or together with other age-r elated changes may contribute to ageing and the development of age-rel ated pathologies. The aim of this investigation was to assess the exte nt of DNA mutations as a function of age in humans. The mutant frequen cy (MF) at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hgprt) locus was assessed in lymphocytes isolated from male volunteers in eac h of three age groups (35-39, 50-54 and 65-69 years). Results show tha t the mean MF in the 65-69 years group was approximately twice that in the 35-39 and 50-54 years groups (4.1/10(6) cells, 1.9/10(6) cells an d 1.79/10(6) cells, respectively) increasing by about 1.33% per year, after 54 years. In addition, there was an increased frequency of chrom osomal aberrations in the 65-69 years group compared to the other two age groups. The results of this investigation show an increase in DNA mutations in cultured human lymphocytes with age. Factors which may in fluence the extent of DNA damage in human lymphocytes are discussed.