Mitochondria, aging and longevity - a new perspective

A new perspective is emerging indicating that mitochondria play a critical role in aging not only because they are the major source and the most proxi mal target of reactive oxygen species, but also because they regulate stres s response and apoptosis, Recent literature indicates that, in response to stress, a variety of molecules translocate to and localise in mitochondria, These molecules are likely to interact with each other, in order to mediat e mitochondria/nucleus cross-talk and to regulate apoptosis, We surmise tha t an integration of signals in multimolecular complexes occurs at mitochond rial Level. These phenomena can be of critical importance for human aging a nd longevity. (C) 2001 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Publis hed by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.