Healthspan and longevity in mammals : a family game for cellular organelles?

Healthy mitochondria are essential generators of cellular energy, while senescent or damaged mitochondria are bioenergetically inefficient and are sources of reactive oxygen species. The mitochondrial life cycle, comprising biogenesis, fusion/fission events and mitophagic elimination, is carefully orchestrated, and age-related decay of the lifecycle contributes to chronic degenerative diseases. Mitochondria make contacts with other cellular organelles in the endomembrane system (endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisomes and lysosomes) whose dynamics are co-regulated and interactions finely tuned to meet the cell requirements and maintain the health of the organism. This review will consider the evidence that mitochondrial biogenesis and quality control, as well as the complex interplay among cellular organelles, may be affected by the aging process(es), with negative consequences for the well being of elderly individuals. Moreover, we propose that nutrients or drugs able to maintain organelle homeostasis may represent novel preventive and/or therapeutic approaches for chronic age-related diseases.