Effect of Aging on the Components of the Protein Synthesis System

Abstract

In common with other organisms, adult insects exhibit marked decreases in the rate of protein synthesis as they age (Richardson 1981). The importance of this decrease to the onset of senescence is not known at the present time. However, the decrease is likely to be a major contributor to the deterioration of cellular structure and function that is seen in senescence, because continued protein synthesis is essential for continued survival of the living cell. Even in nondividing cells, continued protein synthesis is needed to replace proteins that are constantly unfolding, and therefore inactivating, and a complete inhibition of protein synthesis usually results in the death of a cell. Although the exact effects of the observed age-related decreases in protein synthesis have not been defined, the potential for producing deterioration is enough to cause considerable interest in the basis for the decrease.