Resveralogues: From Novel Ageing Mechanisms to New Therapies?

ARDD 2020: from aging mechanisms to interventions

Aging is emerging as a druggable target with growing interest from academia, industry and investors. New technologies such as artificial intelligence and advanced screening techniques, as well as a strong influence from the industry sector may lead to novel discoveries to treat age-related diseases. The present review summarizes presentations from the 7th Annual Aging Research and Drug Discovery (ARDD) meeting, held online on the 1st to 4th of September 2020. The meeting covered topics related to new methodologies to study aging, knowledge about basic mechanisms of longevity, latest interventional strategies to target the aging process as well as discussions about the impact of aging research on society and economy. More than 2000 participants and 65 speakers joined the meeting and we already look forward to an even larger meeting next year. Please mark your calendars for the 8th ARDD meeting that is scheduled for the 31st of August to 3rd of September, 2021, at Columbia University, USA.

Skeletal muscle RBM3 expression is associated with extended lifespan in Ames Dwarf and calorie restricted mice

RNA binding protein motif 3 (RBM3) is an RNA-binding and cold shock protein that protects myoblasts and promotes skeletal muscle hypertrophy by enhancing mRNA stability and translation. Muscle size is decreased during aging; however, it is typically delayed in models of extended lifespan such as the long-lived Ames Dwarf (df/df) mice and calorie restricted (CR) animals compared to age-matched controls. In light of the protective and anabolic effects of RBM3 in muscle, we hypothesized that RBM3 expression is higher in long-lived animal models. Young and old df/df mice, and adult and old UM-HET3 CR mice were used to test this hypothesis. Gastrocnemius muscles were harvested and protein was isolated for RBM3 protein measurements. CR induced a 1.7 and 1.3-fold elevation in RBM3 protein abundance compared to adult and old male mice fed ad libitum (AL) diets, respectively; this effect was shared between males and females. Ames dwarfism induced a 4.6 and 2.7-fold elevation in RBM3 protein abundance in young and old df/df mice compared to normal control littermates, respectively. In contrast, there was an age-associated decrease in cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP), suggesting these effects are specific for RBM3. Lastly, there was an age-associated increase in RNA degradation marker decapping enzyme 2 (DCP2) in UM-HET3 mice that was mitigated by CR. These results show that muscle RBM3 expression is correlated with extended lifespan in both df/df and CR animals. Identifying how RBM3 exerts protective effects in muscle may yield new insights into healthy aging of skeletal muscle.