In a study conducted at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, researchers found that centenarians were five times more likely than others to have the same mutation in their mitochrondrial DNA.
Mitochondrial DNA, the portion of DNA located in the mitochondria or “powerhouses” of the cell, passes only from the mother to offspring. The mitochondria capture the energy released from the oxidation of metabolites and convert it into energy.
“It is possible that in the process of replication these molecules are less damaged by oxidation, but we don’t know that yet,” said Dr. Guiseppe Attardi, Caltech professor of molecular biology, and an author of the study.