Mitochondria and Aging

Dear Colleagues,

Aging is a remarkably complex phenomenon. Some of us believe that this complexity is no coincidence, that evolution of longevity inevitably drives the aging process to be complex and redundant. We only start to appreciate this complexity.

The Mitochondrial Theory of Aging gives an example of this trend. The Theory has emerged from Dedham Harman’s idea that mitochondrial reactive oxygen species are the primary driver of aging. Today we appreciate that, first, ROS are not necessarily bad and may actually have ameliorating effect on the aging organism, e.g., during exercise. Second, detrimental processes in the mitochondria are not necessarily related to ROS production, e.g., clonally accumulating somatic mtDNA mutations that merely impede mitochondrial respiration. In fact, at present there are several independent theories relating processes in mitochondria to aging. The apparent complexity of aging implies that these theories need not be competitors, contending for the title of “the Correct Theory of Aging”. I fact many of them may be equally correct and reflect the different facets of the aging process.

In this Special Issue, we welcome reviews, new methods, and original articles covering many possible roles the mitochondria may play in the aging process. We look forward to your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Konstantin Khrapko
Prof. Dr. Dori Woods
Guest Editors

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