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Review
. 2021 Jun;43(3):1113-1121.
doi: 10.1007/s11357-020-00262-5. Epub 2020 Sep 10.

Mitochondrial-derived peptides in aging and age-related diseases

Su-Jeong Kim  1 , Brendan Miller  2 , Hiroshi Kumagai  2   3 , Ana R Silverstein  2 , Melanie Flores  2 , Kelvin Yen  2
Affiliations
Review

Mitochondrial-derived peptides in aging and age-related diseases

Su-Jeong Kim et al. Geroscience. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

A decline in mitochondrial quality and activity has been associated with normal aging and correlated with the development of a wide range of age-related diseases. Here, we review the evidence that a decline in the levels of mitochondrial-derived peptides contributes to aging and age-related diseases. In particular, we discuss how mitochondrial-derived peptides, humanin and MOTS-c, contribute to specific aspects of the aging process, including cellular senescence, chronic inflammation, and cognitive decline. Genetic variations in the coding region of humanin and MOTS-c that are associated with age-related diseases are also reviewed, with particular emphasis placed on how mitochondrial variants might, in turn, regulate MDP expression and age-related phenotypes. Taken together, these observations suggest that mitochondrial-derived peptides influence or regulate a number of key aspects of aging and that strategies directed at increasing mitochondrial-derived peptide levels might have broad beneficial effects.

Keywords: Age-related diseases; Aging; Humanin; MOTS-c; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial-derived peptides.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mitochondrial alteration during aging. MPTP, mitochondrial permeability transition pore; MCU, mitochondrial calcium uniporter; MDPs, mitochondrial-derived peptides
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
MDPs are associated with some hallmarks of aging
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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