scholarly journals The crustacean Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille, 1804) (Isopoda: Oniscoidea), a new promising model for the study of cellular senescence

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Depeux ◽  
Ascel Samba-Louaka ◽  
Thomas Becking ◽  
Christine Braquart-Varnier ◽  
Jérôme Moreau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Galactosidase Activity ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Armadillidium Vulgare ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Tert Gene ◽  
Experimental Approaches

ABSTRACTSenescence, the decline of physiological parameters with increasing age, is a quasi-ubiquitous phenomenon in the living world. The observed patterns of senescence, however, can markedly differ across species and populations, between sexes, and even among individuals. To identify the drivers of this variation in senescence, experimental approaches are essential and involve the development of tools and new study models. Current knowledge of the senescence process is mostly based on studies on vertebrates and main information about senescence in invertebrates is mostly limited to model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans or Drosophila melanogaster. In this context, we tested whether biomarkers of vertebrate ageing could be used to study senescence in a new invertebrate model: the common woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille, 1804). More specifically, we looked for the effect of age in woodlouse on three well-established physiological biomarkers of ageing in vertebrates: immune cells (cell size, density, and viability), β-galactosidase activity, and the gene expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), an essential subunit of telomerase protein. We found that the size of immune cells was higher in older individuals, whereas their density and viability decreased, and that the β-galactosidase activity increased with age, whereas the TERT gene expression decreased. These findings demonstrate that woodlouse displays age-related changes in biomarkers of vertebrate senescence, with different patterns depending on gender. The tools used in studies of vertebrate senescence can thus be successfully used in studies of senescence of invertebrates such as the woodlouse. The application of commonly used tools to new biological models offers a promising approach to assess the diversity of senescence patterns across the tree of life.

scholarly journals The crustacean Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille, 1804) (Isopoda: Oniscoidea), a new promising model for the study of cellular senescence

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-199
Author(s):  
Charlotte Depeux ◽  
Ascel Samba-Louaka ◽  
Thomas Becking ◽  
Christine Braquart-Varnier ◽  
Jérôme Moreau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Galactosidase Activity ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Armadillidium Vulgare ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Tert Gene ◽  
Experimental Approaches

Abstract Senescence, the decline of physiological parameters with increasing age, is a quasi-ubiquitous phenomenon in the living world. The observed patterns of senescence, however, can markedly differ across species and populations, between sexes, and even among individuals. To identify the drivers of this variation in senescence, experimental approaches are essential and involve the development of tools and new study models. Current knowledge of the senescence process is mostly based on studies on vertebrates and the main information about senescence in invertebrates is mostly limited to model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans or Drosophila melanogaster. In this context, we tested whether biomarkers of vertebrate ageing could be used to study senescence in a new invertebrate model: the common woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille, 1804). More specifically, we looked for the effect of age in woodlouse on three well-established physiological biomarkers of ageing in vertebrates: immune cells (cell size, density, and viability), β-galactosidase activity, and the gene expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), an essential subunit of telomerase protein. We found that the size of immune cells was higher in older individuals, whereas their density and viability decreased, and that the β-galactosidase activity increased with age, whereas the TERT gene expression decreased. These findings demonstrate that woodlouse displays age-related changes in biomarkers of vertebrate senescence, with different patterns depending on gender. The tools used in studies of vertebrate senescence can thus be successfully used in studies of senescence of invertebrates such as the woodlouse. The application of commonly used tools to new biological models offers a promising approach to assess the diversity of senescence patterns across the tree of life.

scholarly journals How (Epi)Genetic Regulation of the LIM-Domain Protein FHL2 Impacts Multifactorial Disease

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2611
Author(s):  
Jayron J. Habibe ◽  
Maria P. Clemente-Olivo ◽  
Carlie J. de Vries
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Genetic Regulation ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Lim Domain ◽  
Multifactorial Diseases ◽  
Lim Domains ◽  
Age Related

Susceptibility to complex pathological conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is highly variable among individuals and arises from specific changes in gene expression in combination with external factors. The regulation of gene expression is determined by genetic variation (SNPs) and epigenetic marks that are influenced by environmental factors. Aging is a major risk factor for many multifactorial diseases and is increasingly associated with changes in DNA methylation, leading to differences in gene expression. Four and a half LIM domains 2 (FHL2) is a key regulator of intracellular signal transduction pathways and the FHL2 gene is consistently found as one of the top hyper-methylated genes upon aging. Remarkably, FHL2 expression increases with methylation. This was demonstrated in relevant metabolic tissues: white adipose tissue, pancreatic β-cells, and skeletal muscle. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on regulation of FHL2 by genetic variation and epigenetic DNA modification, and the potential consequences for age-related complex multifactorial diseases.

scholarly journals Automated Speech Recognition Systems and Older Adults: A Literature Review and Synthesis

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Werner ◽  
Gaojian Huang ◽  
Brandon J. Pitts
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Automated Speech Recognition ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Physical Changes

The number of older adults is growing significantly worldwide. At the same time, technological developments are rapidly evolving, and older populations are expected to interact more frequently with such sophisticated systems. Automated speech recognition (ASR) systems is an example of one technology that is increasingly present in daily life. However, age-related physical changes may alter speech production and limit the effectiveness of ASR systems for older individuals. The goal of this paper was to summarize the current knowledge on ASR systems and older adults. The PRISMA method was employed and 17 studies were compared on the basis of word error rate (WER). Overall, WER was found to be influenced by age, gender, and the number of speech samples used to train ASR systems. This work has implications for the development of future human-machine technologies that will be used by a wide range of age groups.

scholarly journals CDKN2A Gene Expression as a Potential Aging Biomarker in Dogs

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sára Sándor ◽  
Kitti Tátrai ◽  
Kálmán Czeibert ◽  
Balázs Egyed ◽  
Enikő Kubinyi
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Temporal Muscle ◽  
Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Brain

Describing evolutionary conserved physiological or molecular patterns, which can reliably mark the age of both model organisms and humans or predict the onset of age-related pathologies has become a priority in aging research. The age-related gene-expression changes of the Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) gene have been well-documented in humans and rodents. However, data is lacking from other relevant species, including dogs. Therefore, we quantified the CDKN2A mRNA abundance in dogs of different ages, in four tissue types: the frontal cortex of the brain, temporal muscle, skin, and blood. We found a significant, positive correlation between CDKN2A relative expression values and age in the brain, muscle, and blood; however, no correlation was detected in the skin. The strongest correlation was detected in the brain tissue (CDKN2A/GAPDH: r = 0.757, p < 0.001), similarly to human findings, while the muscle and blood showed weaker, but significant correlation. Our results suggest that CDKN2A might be a potential blood-borne biomarker of aging in dogs, although the validation and optimization will require further, more focused research. Our current results also clearly demonstrate that the role of CDKN2A in aging is conserved in dogs, regarding both tissue specificity and a pivotal role of CDKN2A in brain aging.

scholarly journals Age-associated different transcriptome profiling in zebrafish and rat: insight into diversity of vertebrate aging

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuke Kijima ◽  
Wang Wantong ◽  
Yoji Igarashi ◽  
Kazutoshi Yoshitake ◽  
Shuichi Asakawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Muscle Development ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Gene Expression Profiles ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Down Regulation ◽  
Circadian Genes ◽  
Age Related

AbstractBackgroundAging and death are inevitable for most species and are of intense interest for human beings. Most mammals, including humans, show obvious aging phenotypes, for example, loss of tissue plasticity and sarcopenia. In this regard, fish provide attractive models because of their unique aging characteristics. First, the lifespan of fish is highly varied and some long-lived fish can live for over 200 years. Second, some fish show anti-aging features and indeterminate growth throughout their life. Because these characteristics are not found in mammalian model organisms, exploring mechanisms of senescence in fish is expected to provide new insights into vertebrate aging. Therefore, we conducted transcriptome analysis for brain, gill, heart, liver and muscle from 2-month-, 7-month-, 16month- and 39-month-old zebrafish. In addition, we downloaded RNA-seq data for sequential age related gene expression in brain, heart, liver and muscle of rat (1). These RNA-seq data from two species were compared, and common and species-specific features of senescence were analyzed.ResultsScreening of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in all zebrafish tissues examined revealed up-regulation of circadian genes and down-regulation of hmgb3a. Comparative analysis of DEG profiles associated with aging between zebrafish and rat showed both conserved and clearly different aging phenomena. Furthermore, up-regulation of circadian genes with aging and down-regulation of collagen genes were observed in both species. On the other hand, in zebrafish, up-regulation of autophagy related genes in muscle and atf3 in various tissues suggested fish-specific anti- aging characteristics. Consistent with our knowledge of mammalian aging, a tissue deterioration-related DEG profile was observed in rat. We also detected aging-associated down-regulation of muscle development and ATP metabolism-related genes in zebrafish gill. Correspondingly, hypoxia-related genes were systemically up-regulated in aged zebrafish, suggesting age-related hypoxia as a senescence modulator in fish.ConclusionsOur results indicate both common and different aging profiles between fish and mammals. Gene expression profiles specific to fish will provide new insight for future translational research.

scholarly journals Translational Geroscience: Human Models of Healthy Aging and Longevity

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 300-300
Author(s):  
Sofiya Milman
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Antagonistic Pleiotropy ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Ideal Model ◽  
Health Span ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Extended Lifespan ◽  
Disease Free

Abstract While insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a well-established modulator of aging and longevity in model organisms, its role in humans is less well understood. Previous ambiguities in part have been attributed to cohort characteristics and unawareness of interactions between age and IGF-1. Centenarians have emerged as an ideal model of healthy aging because they delay the onset of age-related diseases and often remain disease free for the duration of their lifespan. In cohorts of centenarians and generally healthy older adults, we demonstrated that reduced IGF-1 is associated with extended lifespan and health-span. Additionally, we confirmed that IGF-1 interacts with age to modify risk in a manner consistent with antagonistic pleiotropy: younger individuals with high IGF-1 are protected from dementia, vascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis, while older individuals do not exhibit IGF-1-associated protection from disease. These findings offer evidence for IGF-1 modulating health-span and lifespan in humans.

Ribosomal protein gene regulation: what about plants?

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerri B. McIntosh ◽  
Peta C. Bonham-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Regulation ◽  
Ribosomal Proteins ◽  
Protein Gene ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Ribosomal Protein Gene ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Functional Genes ◽  
Genes Encoding

The ribosome is an intricate ribonucleoprotein complex with a multitude of protein constituents present in equimolar amounts. Coordination of the synthesis of these ribosomal proteins (r-proteins) presents a major challenge to the cell. Although most r-proteins are highly conserved, the mechanisms by which r-protein gene expression is regulated often differ widely among species. While the primary regulatory mechanisms coordinating r-protein synthesis in bacteria, yeast, and animals have been identified, the mechanisms governing the coordination of plant r-protein expression remain largely unexplored. In addition, plants are unique among eukaryotes in carrying multiple (often more than two) functional genes encoding each r-protein, which substantially complicates coordinate expression. A survey of the current knowledge regarding coordinated systems of r-protein gene expression in different model organisms suggests that vertebrate r-protein gene regulation provides a valuable comparison for plants.

scholarly journals The Role of Curcumin in the Modulation of Ageing

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Bielak-Zmijewska ◽  
Wioleta Grabowska ◽  
Agata Ciolko ◽  
Agnieszka Bojko ◽  
Grażyna Mosieniak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Natural Products ◽  
Cellular Senescence ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Daily Diet

It is believed that postponing ageing is more effective and less expensive than the treatment of particular age-related diseases. Compounds which could delay symptoms of ageing, especially natural products present in a daily diet, are intensively studied. One of them is curcumin. It causes the elongation of the lifespan of model organisms, alleviates ageing symptoms and postpones the progression of age-related diseases in which cellular senescence is directly involved. It has been demonstrated that the elimination of senescent cells significantly improves the quality of life of mice. There is a continuous search for compounds, named senolytic drugs, that selectively eliminate senescent cells from organisms. In this paper, we endeavor to review the current knowledge about the anti-ageing role of curcumin and discuss its senolytic potential.

scholarly journals Youthful and age-related matreotypes predict drugs promoting longevity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyril Statzer ◽  
Elisabeth Jongsma ◽  
Sean X. Liu ◽  
Alexander Dakhovnik ◽  
Franziska Wandrey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Gene Expression Pattern ◽  
Surrogate Marker ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
List Type ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Matrix Gene ◽  
Age Related

AbstractThe identification and validation of drugs that promote health during aging (‘geroprotectors’) is key to the retardation or prevention of chronic age-related diseases. Here we found that most of the established pro-longevity compounds shown to extend lifespan in model organisms also alter extracellular matrix gene expression (i.e., matrisome) in human cell lines. To harness this novel observation, we used age-stratified human transcriptomes to define the age-related matreotype, which represents the matrisome gene expression pattern associated with age. Using a ‘youthful’ matreotype, we screened in silico for geroprotective drug candidates. To validate drug candidates, we developed a novel tool using prolonged collagen expression as a non-invasive and in-vivo surrogate marker for C. elegans longevity. With this reporter, we were able to eliminate false positive drug candidates and determine the appropriate dose for extending the lifespan of C. elegans. We improved drug uptake for one of our predicted compounds, genistein, and reconciled previous contradictory reports of its effects on longevity. We identified and validated new compounds, tretinoin, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid, for their ability to restore age-related decline of collagen homeostasis and increase lifespan. Thus, our innovative drug screening approach - employing extracellular matrix homeostasis - facilitates the discovery of pharmacological interventions promoting healthy aging.HighlightsMany geroprotective drugs alter extracellular matrix gene expressionDefined young and old human matreotype signatures can identify novel potential geroprotective compoundsProlonged collagen homeostasis as a surrogate marker for longevity

scholarly journals Resting-state and Vocabulary Tasks Distinctively Inform On Age-Related Differences in the Functional Brain Connectome

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perrine Ferré ◽  
Yassine Benhajali ◽  
Jason Steffener ◽  
Yaakov Stern ◽  
Yves Joanette ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Compensatory Mechanisms ◽  
Brain Connectome ◽  
Age Related

Most of the current knowledge about age-related differences in brain neurofunctional organization stems from neuroimaging studies using either a “resting state” paradigm, or cognitive tasks for which performance decreases with age. However, it remains to be known if comparable age-related differences are found when participants engage in cognitive activities for which performance is maintained with age, such as vocabulary knowledge tasks. A functional connectivity analysis was performed on 286 adults ranging from 18 to 80 years old, based either on a resting state paradigm or when engaged in vocabulary tasks. Notable increases in connectivity of regions of the language network were observed during task completion. Conversely, only age-related decreases were observed across the whole connectome during resting-state. While vocabulary accuracy increased with age, no interaction was found between functional connectivity, age and task accuracy or proxies of cognitive reserve, suggesting that older individuals typically benefits from semantic knowledge accumulated throughout one's life trajectory, without the need for compensatory mechanisms.

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