Abstract
Mitochondria are important organelles that play key roles in cellular functions, such as energy production, oxidative stress responses and programmed cell death. Proper mitochondria dynamics fission/fusion processes are critical for regulating their shape, size and integrity. The cellular activity declines gradually during the senescence process. Previous studies in our lab demonstrated that mitochondria not only become fragmented by shifting dynamic balance toward fission, but also alter their activity in replicative senescent yeast cells. Resveratrol is known to be an effective antioxidant and be able to extend lifespan by boosting mitochondria biogenesis and activity. However, the effects of resveratrol on mitochondria dynamics in replicative senescent yeast cells remain to be explored. We applied biotin-streptavidin labeling method to isolate resveratrol-treated senescent cells to clarify related issues. Our results demonstrated that treatment of resveratrol can reduce mitochondria fragmentation in replicative senescent yeast cells and increase fusion and fission gene expression levels. Furthermore, resveratrol increased mtDNA and enhanced the oxygen consumption. Our finding indicated that resveratrol possesses the ability to adjust the fusion and fission balance of mitochondria and further facilitates mitochondrial functions in senescent yeast cells.