Abstract

The reactive oxygen species that are generated by mitochondrial respiration, including hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), are potent inducers of oxidative damage and mediators of ageing. It is not clear, however, whether oxidative stress is the result of a genetic programme or the by-product of physiological processes. Recent findings demonstrate that a fraction of mitochondrial H₂O₂, produced by a specialized enzyme as a signalling molecule in the pathway of apoptosis, induces intracellular oxidative stress and accelerates ageing. We propose that genes that control H₂O₂ production are selected determinants of lifespan.

Author affiliations

1. Marco Giorgio, Enrica Migliaccio and Pier Giuseppe Pelicci are at the Department of Experimental Oncology, IEO–European Institute of Oncology, and IFOM–FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, 20139 Milan, Italy.
2. Mirella Trinei is at Congenia Srl, 20139 Milan, Italy.

Correspondence to: Pier Giuseppe Pelicci¹ Email: piergiuseppe.pelicci@ifom-ieo-campus.it

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