Ageing-associated thiol loss in Bacterionema matruchotii.

This work tested the concept that thiol loss, proposed as a cause of animal ageing, occurs in ageing cultures of Bacterionema matruchotii. Paired comparisons were made between thiol levels of exponential- and stationary-phase cultures. Values for stationary phase were consistently and significantly (P less than 0.01) lower. If bacterial thiol loss is an effect of culture ageing rather than a cause, the same possibility must be considered with respect to tissue. However, if thiol loss is a cause of ageing, the role for thiol loss in tissue ageing would be strengthened. A major problem in the biology of ageing is to distinguish between cause and consequence. Bacterial culture could provide a relatively simple model for such inquiry.