The effects of aging on phosphofructokinase induction during lymphocyte mitogenesis in relation to DNA and protein synthesis

The incorporation of radiolabeled leucine into phytohemagglutinin-stimulated human lymphocytes increases by 9 hours after mitogen addition in the young whereas this process is delayed by two-fold in the aged (18 hours). Once induced, the leucine incorporation is about 56% less in the aged as compared to the young. The induction of phosphofructokinase (PFK) catalytic activity mimics the induction of protein synthesis in both young (9 hours) and aged (18 hours) subjects also taking twice as long to induce in the aged and attaining much lower levels of induction with increasing subject age. The increase of thymidine incorporation in mitogen-stimulated cells does not occur until 12 hours after the increase in leucine incorporation in both the young (21 hours) and aged (30 hours) which also represents a 9 hour age-related delay in induction. The marked increase in protein synthesis rate occurs in a concerted manner with the induction of glycolysis and the delay and impairment in protein biosynthesis in the aged appears to relate to the similar age-related findings for glycolytic enzyme induction. The mitogen-induced increase in DNA synthesis is a later event and the age-related delay in DNA synthesis induction may be secondary to the delay in the induction of protein synthesis. Other enzyme-dependent processes besides DNA synthesis and glycolysis may also be secondary to a primary slowing of protein synthesis in the aged and related to the delayed cell cycle time frequently observed in aged subjects.