Cortopassi G A, Arnheim N
Molecular Biology Section, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-1340.
Nucleic Acids Res. 1990 Dec 11;18(23):6927-33. doi: 10.1093/nar/18.23.6927.
Using PCR, we found that normal heart muscle and brain from adult human individuals contain low levels of a specific mitochondrial DNA deletion, previously found only in patients affected with certain types of neuromuscular disease. This deletion was not observed in fetal heart or brain. Experimental tests support the idea that the deletion exists in vivo in adult mitochondria and is not an in vitro artifact of PCR. Our data provide direct experimental support for the idea that accumulation of mitochondrial DNA deletions may be important in aging.
通过聚合酶链反应（PCR），我们发现来自成年人类个体的正常心肌和大脑含有低水平的一种特定线粒体DNA缺失，这种缺失以前仅在患有某些类型神经肌肉疾病的患者中发现。在胎儿的心脏或大脑中未观察到这种缺失。实验测试支持这样一种观点，即这种缺失存在于成年线粒体的体内，而不是PCR的体外假象。我们的数据为线粒体DNA缺失的积累可能在衰老过程中起重要作用这一观点提供了直接的实验支持。
