Inadequate mito-biogenesis in primary dermal fibroblasts from old humans is associated with impairment of PGC1A-independent stimulation.

Donors: 15 human female donors included in the study were aged 20, 21, 23, 26, 26, 40, 41, 42, 43, 49, 60, 62, 63, 64 and 67 years, thus covering the age spectrum 20 – 67 years and providing five biological replicates for each of the age groups “young” (20-30 years), “middle” (40-50 years) and “old” (60-70 years). Human dermal fibroblasts were isolated from skin specimen removed in the course of cosmetic surgery from the bottom side of female breast. Isolation and primary culture of the cells followed published procedures (Tigges and others 2013). Cells were not expanded beyond 12 population doublings, while replicative cell cycle arrest was determined to not occur before 40 population doublings.