Age-associated DNA damage is accelerated in the senescence-accelerated mice

We investigated how the DNA status correlates with the aging process in organisms, in different organs and in tissues using two inbred strains of mice, which are genetically related but have different senescence patterns. The SAMP1 mice belong to an accelerated senescence-prone and short lived strain, the other, SAMR1 mice are from an accelerated senescence-resistant and long lived strain. Using the alkaline filter elution technique, pieces of tissues from six organs: lung, intestine, liver, brain, muscle, and heart have been examined for DNA damage, mainly DNA single strand breaks. It was shown that in newborns the DNA damage is minimal, and it was increased significantly with calendric ag…