Mitochondria at the heart of aging: structure, function, and failure

Mitochondria are critical for cellular metabolism, signaling, and health throughout life. Evidence increasingly links age-related mitochondrial dysfunction to a progressive decline in tissue homeostasis. Mitochondrial dysfunction is caused by various mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) structural and genetic alterations, impaired oxidative phosphorylation, and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Advances in high-resolution sequencing have revealed vulnerabilities and mutation signatures in