Research Paper|Volume 1, Issue 3|pp 328—334

The S-adenosylmethionine dependent O-methyltransferase PaMTH1: a longevity assurance factor protecting Podospora anserina against oxidative stress

Birgit Kunstmann¹, Heinz D. Osiewacz¹

¹Department of Biological Sciences & Cluster of Excellence Macromolecular Complexes, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Received: January 16, 2009Accepted: March 2, 2009Published: March 3, 2009

Copyright: © 2009 Kunstmann et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

PaMTH1 is an O-methyltransferase catalysing the methylation of vicinal hydroxyl groups of polyphenols. The protein accumulates during ageing of Podospora anserina in both the cytosol and in the mitochondrial matrix. The construction and characterisation of a PaMth1 deletion strain provided additional evidence about the function of the protein in the protection against metal induced oxidative stress. Deletion of PaMth1 was found to lead to a decreased resistance against exogenous oxidative stress and to a shortened lifespan suggesting a role of PaMTH1 as a longevity assurance factor in a new molecular pathway involved in lifespan control.