S. Ito et al., LONG-TERM POSTMORTEM SURVIVAL OF MITOCHONDRIAL GENOMES IN MOUSE SYNAPTOSOMES AND THEIR RESCUE IN A MITOCHONDRIAL DNA-LESS MOUSE-CELL LINE, Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 247(2), 1998, pp. 432-435
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transfer was carried out from postmortem mou
se tissues to mouse mtDNA-less (rho(0)) cells to determine how long it
takes for autolysis of mtDNA after death and whether mtDNA in postmor
tem tissues can recover its function in rho(0) cells. The results show
ed that mtDNA was stable in postmitotic tissues stored at 4 degrees C.
Moreover, mtDNA in postmortem brain tissues stored for up to 1 month
still retained functional properties, causing complete recovery of mit
ochondrial respiratory function, when it was transferred to rho(0) cel
ls. These observations suggest that mtDNA in brain tissue can survive
for 1 month after death and can start replication and gene expression
in rho(0) cells without showing any functional defects. This procedure
might be applied to human autopsy brain tissues for examination of th
e influence of accumulated somatic mutations in mtDNA from aged subjec
ts. (C) 1998 Academic Press.