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Miller WB, Baluška F, Reber AS, Slijepčević P. Why death and aging ? All memories are imperfect. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 187:21-35. [PMID: 38316274 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Recent papers have emphasized the primary role of cellular information management in biological and evolutionary development. In this framework, intelligent cells collectively measure environmental cues to improve informational validity to support natural cellular engineering as collaborative decision-making and problem-solving in confrontation with environmental stresses. These collective actions are crucially dependent on cell-based memories as acquired patterns of response to environmental stressors. Notably, in a cellular self-referential framework, all biological information is ambiguous. This conditional requirement imposes a previously unexplored derivative. All cellular memories are imperfect. From this atypical background, a novel theory of aging and death is proposed. Since cellular decision-making is memory-dependent and biology is a continuous natural learning system, the accumulation of previously acquired imperfect memories eventually overwhelms the flexibility cells require to react adroitly to contemporaneous stresses to support continued cellular homeorhetic balance. The result is a gradual breakdown of the critical ability to efficiently measure environmental information and effect cell-cell communication. This age-dependent accretion governs senescence, ultimately ending in death as an organism-wide failure of cellular networking. This approach to aging and death is compatible with all prior theories. Each earlier approach illuminates different pertinent cellular signatures of this ongoing, obliged, living process.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - František Baluška
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, University of Bonn, Germany.
| | - Arthur S Reber
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Predrag Slijepčević
- Department of Life Sciences, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Brunel, UK.
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2
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Gu W. It is time to work on the extension of body growth and reproductive stages. Rejuvenation Res 2022; 25:110-115. [PMID: 35293249 DOI: 10.1089/rej.2022.0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
There are three major changes for the human lifespan in the past half decade: the decreased age of sexual maturity, slight increase in age of menopause/ andropause, and a trend of increase in life expectancy. The ages of puberty and menopause are the transitions in life stages, such that early puberty leads to loss and late menopause leads to gain the lifespan. So far, the strategies for increased lifespan have been largely focused on the post-reproductive stage. These approaches are challenging and may at some point reach a plateau. It might be interesting to expand this focus to potentially delaying the puberty and extending the period of body growth, which might yield longer reproductive stages as well as the longer and healthier lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weikuan Gu
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center Bookstore, 402387, 956 Court Av, Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, United States, 38103-3410;
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3
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Walker RF. A Mechanistic Theory of Development-Aging Continuity in Humans and Other Mammals. Cells 2022; 11:cells11050917. [PMID: 35269539 PMCID: PMC8909351 DOI: 10.3390/cells11050917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
There is consensus among biogerontologists that aging occurs either as the result of a purposeful genome-based, evolved program or due to spontaneous, randomly occurring, maladaptive events. Neither concept has yet identified a specific mechanism to explain aging’s emergence and acceleration during mid-life and beyond. Presented herein is a novel, unifying mechanism with empirical evidence that describes how aging becomes continuous with development. It assumes that aging emerges from deterioration of a regulatory process that directs morphogenesis and morphostasis. The regulatory system consists of a genome-wide “backbone” within which its specific genes are differentially expressed by the local epigenetic landscapes of cells and tissues within which they reside, thereby explaining its holistic nature. Morphostasis evolved in humans to ensure the nurturing of dependent offspring during the first decade of young adulthood when peak parental vitality prevails in the absence of aging. The strict redundancy of each morphostasis regulatory cycle requires sensitive dependence upon initial conditions to avoid initiating deterministic chaos behavior. However, when natural selection declines as midlife approaches, persistent, progressive, and specific DNA damage and misrepair changes the initial conditions of the regulatory process, thereby compromising morphostasis regulatory redundancy, instigating chaos, initiating senescence, and accelerating aging thereafter.
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4
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Blagosklonny MV. The hyperfunction theory of aging: three common misconceptions. Oncoscience 2021; 8:103-107. [PMID: 34549076 PMCID: PMC8448505 DOI: 10.18632/oncoscience.545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
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5
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Wang T, Maden SK, Luebeck GE, Li CI, Newcomb PA, Ulrich CM, Joo JHE, Buchanan DD, Milne RL, Southey MC, Carter KT, Willbanks AR, Luo Y, Yu M, Grady WM. Dysfunctional epigenetic aging of the normal colon and colorectal cancer risk. Clin Epigenetics 2020; 12:5. [PMID: 31900199 PMCID: PMC6942339 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-019-0801-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Chronological age is a prominent risk factor for many types of cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC). Yet, the risk of CRC varies substantially between individuals, even within the same age group, which may reflect heterogeneity in biological tissue aging between people. Epigenetic clocks based on DNA methylation are a useful measure of the biological aging process with the potential to serve as a biomarker of an individual’s susceptibility to age-related diseases such as CRC. Methods We conducted a genome-wide DNA methylation study on samples of normal colon mucosa (N = 334). Subjects were assigned to three cancer risk groups (low, medium, and high) based on their personal adenoma or cancer history. Using previously established epigenetic clocks (Hannum, Horvath, PhenoAge, and EpiTOC), we estimated the biological age of each sample and assessed for epigenetic age acceleration in the samples by regressing the estimated biological age on the individual’s chronological age. We compared the epigenetic age acceleration between different risk groups using a multivariate linear regression model with the adjustment for gender and cell-type fractions for each epigenetic clock. An epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) was performed to identify differential methylation changes associated with CRC risk. Results Each epigenetic clock was significantly correlated with the chronological age of the subjects, and the Horvath clock exhibited the strongest correlation in all risk groups (r > 0.8, p < 1 × 10−30). The PhenoAge clock (p = 0.0012) revealed epigenetic age deceleration in the high-risk group compared to the low-risk group. Conclusions Among the four DNA methylation-based measures of biological age, the Horvath clock is the most accurate for estimating the chronological age of individuals. Individuals with a high risk for CRC have epigenetic age deceleration in their normal colons measured by the PhenoAge clock, which may reflect a dysfunctional epigenetic aging process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Wang
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, D4-100, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Sean K Maden
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, D4-100, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.,Computational Biology Program, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Georg E Luebeck
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christopher I Li
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Polly A Newcomb
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Cornelia M Ulrich
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute and Department of Population Health Sciences, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Ji-Hoon E Joo
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Daniel D Buchanan
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Roger L Milne
- Cancer Epidemiology Division, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Precision Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Melissa C Southey
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cancer Epidemiology Division, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Precision Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kelly T Carter
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, D4-100, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Amber R Willbanks
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, D4-100, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Yanxin Luo
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Disease, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ming Yu
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, D4-100, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.
| | - William M Grady
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, D4-100, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA. .,Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Department of Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
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6
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Dontsov VI, Krut’ko VN. Modeling the Entire Human Mortality Curve: A Regulatory Model of Aging. Biophysics (Nagoya-shi) 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006350920010054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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7
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Abstract
All people want to age "successfully," maintaining functional capacity and quality of life as they reach advanced age. Achieving this goal depends on preserving optimal cognitive and brain functioning. Yet, significant individual differences exist in this regard. Some older adults continue to retain most cognitive abilities throughout their lifetime. Others experience declines in cognitive and functional capacity that range from mild decrements in certain cognitive functions over time to severe dementia among those with neurodegenerative diseases. Even among relatively healthy "successful agers," certain cognitive functions are reduced from earlier levels. This is particularly true for cognitive functions that are dependent on cognitive processing speed and efficiency. Working memory and executive and attentional functions tend to be most vulnerable. Learning and memory functions are also usually reduced, although in the absence of neurodegenerative disease learning and retrieval efficiency rather than memory storage are affected. Other functions, such as visual perception, language, semantics, and knowledge, are often well preserved. Structural, functional, and physiologic/metabolic brain changes correspond with age-associated cognitive decline. Physiologic and metabolic mechanisms, such as oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, may contribute to these changes, along with the contribution of comorbidities that secondarily affect the brain of older adults. Cognitive frailty often corresponds with physical frailty, both affected by multiple exogenous and endogenous factors. Neuropsychologic assessment provides a way of measuring the cognitive and functional status of older adults, which is useful for monitoring changes that may be occurring. Neuroimaging is also useful for characterizing age-associated structural, functional, physiologic, and metabolic brain changes, including alterations in cerebral blood flow and metabolite concentrations. Some interventions that may enhance cognitive function, such as cognitive training, neuromodulation, and pharmacologic approaches, exist or are being developed. Yet, preventing, slowing, and reversing the adverse effects of cognitive aging remains a challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald A Cohen
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States; Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
| | - Michael M Marsiske
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States; Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Glenn E Smith
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States; Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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8
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Larval crowding results in hormesis-like effects on longevity in Drosophila: timing of eclosion as a model. Biogerontology 2018; 20:191-201. [PMID: 30456589 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-018-9786-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that stress during development can affect adult-life health status and longevity. In the present study, we examined life span (LS), fly weight, fecundity and expression levels of longevity-associated genes (Hsp70, InR, dSir2, dTOR and dFOXO) in adult Drosophila melanogaster flies reared in normal [low density (LD), ~ 300-400 eggs per jar] or crowded [high density (HD), more than 3000 eggs per jar] conditions by using the order (day) of emergence as an index of the developmental duration (HD1-5 groups). Developmental time showed a significant trend to increase while weight showed a significant trend to decrease with increasing the timing of emergence. In both males and females eclosed during first 2 days in HD conditions (HD1 and HD2 groups), both mean and maximum LSs were significantly increased in comparison to LD group. In males, mean LS was increased by 24.0% and 23.5% in HD1 and HD2 groups, respectively. In females, corresponding increments in mean LS were 23.8% (HD1 group) and 29.3% (HD2 group). In HD groups, a strong negative association with developmental time has been found for both male and female mean and male maximum LSs; no association with growth rate was observed for female maximum LS. The female reproductive activity (fecundity) tended to decrease with subsequent days of eclosion. In HD groups, the levels of expression of all studied longevity-associated genes tended to increase with the timing of eclosion in males; no differences were observed in females. On the basis of findings obtained, it can be assumed that the development in conditions of larval overpopulation (if not too extended) could trigger hormetic response thereby extending the longevity. Further studies are, however, needed to confirm this assumption.
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9
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Walker RF. On the cause and mechanism of phenoptosis. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2017; 82:1462-1479. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006297917120069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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10
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Clinical and genetic analysis of a rare syndrome associated with neoteny. Genet Med 2017; 20:495-502. [DOI: 10.1038/gim.2017.140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
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11
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Grove BJ, Lim SJ, Gale CR, Shenkin SD. Birth weight and cognitive ability in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis. INTELLIGENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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12
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Walker RF, Liu JS, Peters BA, Ritz BR, Wu T, Ophoff RA, Horvath S. Epigenetic age analysis of children who seem to evade aging. Aging (Albany NY) 2016; 7:334-9. [PMID: 25991677 PMCID: PMC4468314 DOI: 10.18632/aging.100744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
We previously reported the unusual case of a teenage girl stricken with multifocal developmental dysfunctions whose physical development was dramatically delayed resulting in her appearing to be a toddler or at best a preschooler, even unto the occasion of her death at the age of 20 years. Her life-long physician felt that the disorder was unique in the world and that future treatments for age-related diseases might emerge from its study. The objectives of our research were to determine if other such cases exist, and if so, whether aging is actually slowed. Of seven children characterized by dramatically slow developmental rates, five also had associated disorders displayed by the first case. All of the identified subjects were female. To objectively measure the age of blood tissue from these subjects, we used a highly accurate biomarker of aging known as “epigenetic clock” based on DNA methylation levels. No statistically significant differences in chronological and epigenetic ages were detected in any of the newly discovered cases. Our study shows that a) there are multiple children who maintain the façade of persistent toddler-like features while aging from birth to young adulthood and b) blood tissue from these cases is not younger than expected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard F Walker
- Physician's Scientific and Regulatory Services, Inc., Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785, USA
| | - Jia Sophie Liu
- Department of Research, Complete Genomics Inc. Mountain View CA94043 USA,BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Brock A Peters
- Department of Research, Complete Genomics Inc. Mountain View CA94043 USA,BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Beate R Ritz
- Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Timothy Wu
- Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,UCLA Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Roel A Ophoff
- Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,UCLA Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Steve Horvath
- Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Eckley DM, Rahimi S, Mantilla S, Orlov NV, Coletta CE, Wilson MA, Iser WB, Delaney JD, Zhang Y, Wood W, Becker KG, Wolkow CA, Goldberg IG. Molecular characterization of the transition to mid-life in Caenorhabditis elegans. AGE (DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS) 2013; 35:689-703. [PMID: 22610697 PMCID: PMC3636400 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-012-9401-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2011] [Accepted: 03/09/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We present an initial molecular characterization of a morphological transition between two early aging states. In previous work, an age score reflecting physiological age was developed using a machine classifier trained on images of worm populations at fixed chronological ages throughout their lifespan. The distribution of age scores identified three stable post-developmental states and transitions. The first transition occurs at day 5 post-hatching, where a significant percentage of the population exists in both state I and state II. The temperature dependence of the timing of this transition (Q 10 ~ 1.17) is too low to be explained by a stepwise process with an enzymatic or chemical rate-limiting step, potentially implicating a more complex mechanism. Individual animals at day 5 were sorted into state I and state II groups using the machine classifier and analyzed by microarray expression profiling. Despite being isogenic, grown for the same amount of time, and indistinguishable by eye, these two morphological states were confirmed to be molecularly distinct by hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis of the microarray results. These molecular differences suggest that pharynx morphology reflects the aging state of the whole organism. Our expression profiling yielded a gene set that showed significant overlap with those from three previous age-related studies and identified several genes not previously implicated in aging. A highly represented group of genes unique to this study is involved in targeted ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, including Skp1-related (SKR), F-box-containing, and BTB motif adaptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Mark Eckley
- />Image Informatics and Computational Biology Unit, Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Salim Rahimi
- />Image Informatics and Computational Biology Unit, Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Sandra Mantilla
- />Image Informatics and Computational Biology Unit, Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Nikita V. Orlov
- />Image Informatics and Computational Biology Unit, Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Christopher E. Coletta
- />Image Informatics and Computational Biology Unit, Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Mark A. Wilson
- />Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Wendy B. Iser
- />Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - John D. Delaney
- />Image Informatics and Computational Biology Unit, Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Yongqing Zhang
- />Gene Expression and Genomics Unit, Central Laboratory Service Section, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - William Wood
- />Gene Expression and Genomics Unit, Central Laboratory Service Section, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Kevin G. Becker
- />Gene Expression and Genomics Unit, Central Laboratory Service Section, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Catherine A. Wolkow
- />Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Ilya G. Goldberg
- />Image Informatics and Computational Biology Unit, Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD USA
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de Magalhães JP. Programmatic features of aging originating in development: aging mechanisms beyond molecular damage? FASEB J 2012; 26:4821-6. [PMID: 22964300 PMCID: PMC3509060 DOI: 10.1096/fj.12-210872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The idea that aging follows a predetermined sequence of events, a program, has been discredited by most contemporary authors. Instead, aging is largely thought to occur due to the accumulation of various forms of molecular damage. Recent work employing functional genomics now suggests that, indeed, certain facets of mammalian aging may follow predetermined patterns encoded in the genome as part of developmental processes. It appears that genetic programs coordinating some aspects of growth and development persist into adulthood and may become detrimental. This link between development and aging may occur due to regulated processes, including through the action of microRNAs and epigenetic mechanisms. Taken together with other results, in particular from worms, these findings provide evidence that some aging changes are not primarily a result of a build-up of stochastic damage but are rather a product of regulated processes. These processes are interpreted as forms of antagonistic pleiotropy, the product of a “shortsighted watchmaker,” and thus do not assume aging evolved for a purpose. Overall, it appears that the genome does, indeed, contain specific instructions that drive aging in animals, a radical shift in our perception of the aging process.—de Magalhães, J. P. Programmatic features of aging originating in development: aging mechanisms beyond molecular damage?
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Affiliation(s)
- João Pedro de Magalhães
- Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
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