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Welcome to MitoAge!

What is MitoAge?

The rapidly increasing number of species with fully sequenced mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), together with accumulated data on longevity records, provide new fascinating opportunities for the analysis of the links between mtDNA features and longevity across animals. To facilitate such an analysis, and to support the scientific community in carrying it out, we developed MitoAge – a curated, publicly available database, containing an extensive collection of calculated mtDNA data records, and integrated it with longevity records. The MitoAge website also provides the basic tools for comparative analysis of mtDNA, with a special focus on animal longevity.

Why is it important?

Mitochondria are the most “hard-working” organelles and the only organelles in the animal cell that have their own genome. They have long been considered one of the major players in the mechanisms of aging, longevity and age-related diseases1. We and others have shown strong correlative links between mammalian maximum lifespan and mtDNA base composition. In particular, the mtDNA GC content appears to be an independent and powerful predictor of mammalian longevity2, 3.

1. Gonzalez-Freire M, de Cabo R, Bernier M, Sollott SJ, Fabbri E, Navas P, Ferrucci L. Reconsidering the Role of Mitochondria in Aging. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2015; pii:glv070.
2. Lehmann G, Segal E, Muradian KK, Fraifeld VE. Do mitochondrial DNA and metabolic rate complement each other in determination of the mammalian maximum
longevity? Rejuvenation Res. 2008; 11:409-17.
3. Lehmann G, Muradian KK, Fraifeld VE. Telomere length and body temperature-independent determinants of mammalian longevity? Front Genet. 2013; 4:111.

What data is available?

MitoAge contains calculated mtDNA compositional features of the entire mitochondrial genome, mtDNA coding (tRNA, rRNA, protein-coding genes) and non-coding (D-loop, insertions) regions, codon usage for each protein-coding gene, and longevity records for over 900 species from all taxa of the Kingdom Animalia. For more details, please see:
Help - User Guide.


We are enthusiastically looking forward to your feedback and suggestions on how to improve the MitoAge database and on what additional features could help you with your research!

Contact: Vadim E. Fraifeld, MD, PhD

Head: Lab for the Biology of Aging, The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel

Email:
How to cite us:

If you would like to cite this database please use:
Toren D, Barzilay T, Tacutu R, Lehmann G, Muradian KK, Fraifeld VE. MitoAge: a database for comparative analysis of mitochondrial DNA, with a special focus on animal longevity. Nucleic Acids Res. 2016; 44(D1):D1262-5.