Association of mitochondrial mutations with the age of patients having atherosclerotic lesions

Mitochondrial genome mutations are associated with different pathologies. Earlier the authors of the study found an association of some mitochondrial genome mutations with atherosclerosis. In the present study, an attempt to analyze a connection of detected mutations with the age of patients with atherosclerosis was made. The investigated sample included 700 individuals, examined by ultrasonography in polyclinics of Moscow and the Moscow region. The sample was divided approximately into two equal parts. The first part included patients with carotid atherosclerosis. The second part included conventionally healthy study participants. In PCR-fragments of individuals' DNA the heteroplasmy level of investigated mutations was quantitatively measured by the method, developed by members of our laboratory on the basis of pyrosequencing technology. According to the obtained results mutations G12315A, G14459A and G15059A were significantly associated with the age of the study participants. The same time one nucleotide replacements A1555G and G14846A correlated negatively with the age at a high level of significance. Thus, in the present study an association of atherogenic mitochondrial genome mutations with age was found. Antiatherogenic mutations were correlated with the age negatively. This prompts a suggestion about common mechanisms of atherogenesis and aging