CHANGES OF MITOCHONDRIAL CYTOCHROME-C-OXIDASE AND FOF1 ATP SYNTHASE SUBUNITS IN RAT CEREBRAL-CORTEX DURING AGING

The contents of subunits I, II/III, and IV of cytochrome c oxidase and of subunits alpha, beta and gamma of FoF1 ATP synthase in inner mitoc hondrial membrane proteins purified from cerebral cortex of rat at 2, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 26 months of age were analyzed by western blot. Age -related changes in the content of subunits, either of mitochondrial o r nuclear origin, were observed. All the cytochrome c oxidase (COX) su bunits examined showed an age-related increase from 2-month-old rats u p to 24 months with a decrease at the oldest age (26 months). The same pattern of age-dependent changes was observed for gamma ATP synthase, while the or and beta subunits increased progressively up to 26 month s.