Genetic manipulation of cardiac ageing

The Roles of the LIM Domain Proteins in Drosophila Cardiac and Hematopoietic Morphogenesis

Drosophila melanogaster has been used as a model organism for study on development and pathophysiology of the heart. LIM domain proteins act as adaptors or scaffolds to promote the assembly of multimeric protein complexes. We found a total of 75 proteins encoded by 36 genes have LIM domain in Drosophila melanogaster by the tools of SMART, FLY-FISH, and FlyExpress, and around 41.7% proteins with LIM domain locate in lymph glands, muscles system, and circulatory system. Furthermore, we summarized functions of different LIM domain proteins in the development and physiology of fly heart and hematopoietic systems. It would be attractive to determine whether it exists a probable "LIM code" for the cycle of different cell fates in cardiac and hematopoietic tissues. Next, we aspired to propose a new research direction that the LIM domain proteins may play an important role in fly cardiac and hematopoietic morphogenesis.

Mitochondrial ROS-Modulated mtDNA: A Potential Target for Cardiac Aging

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage is associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases. Cardiac aging plays a central role in cardiovascular diseases. There is accumulating evidence linking cardiac aging to mtDNA damage, including mtDNA mutation and decreased mtDNA copy number. Current wisdom indicates that mtDNA is susceptible to damage by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS). This review presents the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiac aging, including autophagy, chronic inflammation, mtROS, and mtDNA damage, and the effects of mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative stress on mtDNA. The importance of nucleoid-associated proteins (Pol γ), nuclear respiratory factors (NRF1 and NRF2), the cGAS-STING pathway, and the mitochondrial biogenesis pathway concerning the development of mtDNA damage during cardiac aging is discussed. Thus, the repair of damaged mtDNA provides a potential clinical target for preventing cardiac aging.

Geroscience approaches to increase healthspan and slow aging

For decades, researchers in the biology of aging have focused on defining mechanisms that modulate aging by primarily studying a single metric, sometimes described as the "gold standard" lifespan. Increasingly, geroscience research is turning towards defining functional domains of aging such as the cardiovascular system, skeletal integrity, and metabolic health as being a more direct route to understand why tissues decline in function with age. Each model used in aging research has strengths and weaknesses, yet we know surprisingly little about how critical tissues decline in health with increasing age. Here I discuss popular model systems used in geroscience research and their utility as possible tools in preclinical studies in aging.

Drosophila in the Heart of Understanding Cardiac Diseases: Modeling Channelopathies and Cardiomyopathies in the Fruitfly

Cardiovascular diseases and, among them, channelopathies and cardiomyopathies are a major cause of death worldwide. The molecular and genetic defects underlying these cardiac disorders are complex, leading to a large range of structural and functional heart phenotypes. Identification of molecular and functional mechanisms disrupted by mutations causing channelopathies and cardiomyopathies is essential to understanding the link between an altered gene and clinical phenotype. The development of animal models has been proven to be efficient for functional studies in channelopathies and cardiomyopathies. In particular, the Drosophila model has been largely applied for deciphering the molecular and cellular pathways affected in these inherited cardiac disorders and for identifying their genetic modifiers. Here we review the utility and the main contributions of the fruitfly models for the better understanding of channelopathies and cardiomyopathies. We also discuss the investigated pathological mechanisms and the discoveries of evolutionarily conserved pathways which reinforce the value of Drosophila in modeling human cardiac diseases.