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Ankrah PK, Mensah ED, Dabie K, Mensah C, Akangbe B, Essuman J. Harnessing Genetics to Extend Lifespan and Healthspan: Current Progress and Future Directions. Cureus 2024; 16:e55495. [PMID: 38571872 PMCID: PMC10990068 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.55495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Aging is inevitable, but the lifespan (duration of life) and healthspan (healthy aging) vary greatly among individuals and across species. Unlocking the secrets behind these differences has captivated scientific curiosity for ages. This review presents relevant recent advances in genetics and cell biology that are shedding new light by untangling how subtle changes in conserved genes, pathways, and epigenetic factors influence organismal senescence and associated declines. Biogerontology is a complex and rapidly growing field aimed at elucidating genetic modifications that extend lifespan and healthspan. This review explores gerontogenes, genes influencing lifespan and healthspan across species. Though subtle differences exist, long-lived individuals such as centenarians demonstrate extended healthspans, and numerous studies confirm the heritability of longevity/healthspan genes. Importantly, genes and gerontogenes are directly and indirectly involved in DNA repair, insulin/IGF-1 and mTOR signaling pathways, long non-coding RNAs, sirtuins, and heat shock proteins. The complex interactions between genetics and epigenetics are teased apart. While more research into optimizing healthspan is needed, conserved gerontogenes offer synergistic potential to forestall aging and age-related diseases. Understanding complex longevity genetics brings closer the goal of extending not only lifespan but quality years of life. The primary aim of human Biogerontology is to enhance lifespan and healthspan, but the question remains: are current genetic modifications effectively promoting healthy aging? This article collates the advancements in gerontogenes that enhance lifespan and improve healthspan alongside their potential challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Enock D Mensah
- Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA
| | - Kwabena Dabie
- Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA
| | - Caleb Mensah
- Translational Biology, Medicine and Health, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA
| | | | - Jonathan Essuman
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA
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Paine PT, Nguyen A, Ocampo A. Partial cellular reprogramming: A deep dive into an emerging rejuvenation technology. Aging Cell 2024; 23:e14039. [PMID: 38040663 PMCID: PMC10861195 DOI: 10.1111/acel.14039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging and age-associated disease are a major medical and societal burden in need of effective treatments. Cellular reprogramming is a biological process capable of modulating cell fate and cellular age. Harnessing the rejuvenating benefits without altering cell identity via partial cellular reprogramming has emerged as a novel translational strategy with therapeutic potential and strong commercial interests. Here, we explore the aging-related benefits of partial cellular reprogramming while examining limitations and future directions for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick T. Paine
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology and MedicineUniversity of LausanneLausanneVaudSwitzerland
- Center for Virology and Vaccine ResearchHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Present address:
McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | | | - Alejandro Ocampo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology and MedicineUniversity of LausanneLausanneVaudSwitzerland
- EPITERNA SAEpalingesSwitzerland
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Abstract
Ageing is inherent to all human beings, yet why we age remains a hotly contested topic. Most mechanistic explanations of ageing posit that ageing is caused by the accumulation of one or more forms of molecular damage. Here, I propose that we age not because of inevitable damage to the hardware but rather because of intrinsic design flaws in the software, defined as the DNA code that orchestrates how a single cell develops into an adult organism. As the developmental software runs, its sequence of events is reflected in shifting cellular epigenetic states. Overall, I suggest that to understand ageing we need to decode our software and the flow of epigenetic information throughout the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Pedro de Magalhães
- Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2WB, UK.
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Salnikov L, Goldberg S, Rijhwani H, Shi Y, Pinsky E. The RNA-Seq data analysis shows how the ontogenesis defines aging. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2023; 4:1143334. [PMID: 36999000 PMCID: PMC10046809 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2023.1143334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a global statistical analysis of the RNA-Seq results of the entire Mus musculus genome. We explain aging by a gradual redistribution of limited resources between two major tasks of the organism: its self-sustenance based on the function of the housekeeping gene group (HG) and functional differentiation provided by the integrative gene group (IntG). All known disorders associated with aging are the result of a deficiency in the repair processes provided by the cellular infrastructure. Understanding exactly how this deficiency arises is our primary goal. Analysis of RNA production data of 35,630 genes, from which 5,101 were identified as HG genes, showed that RNA production levels in the HG and IntG genes had statistically significant differences (p-value <0.0001) throughout the entire observation period. In the reproductive period of life, which has the lowest actual mortality risk for Mus musculus, changes in the age dynamics of RNA production occur. The statistically significant dynamics of the decrease of RNA production in the HG group in contrast to the IntG group was determined (p-value = 0.0045). The trend toward significant shift in the HG/IntG ratio occurs after the end of the reproductive period, coinciding with the beginning of the mortality rate increase in Mus musculus indirectly supports our hypothesis. The results demonstrate a different orientation of the impact of ontogenesis regulatory mechanisms on the groups of genes representing cell infrastructures and their organismal functions, making the chosen direction promising for further research and understanding the mechanisms of aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lev Salnikov
- AntiCA Biomed, San Diego, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Lev Salnikov,
| | - Saveli Goldberg
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA, United Kingdom
| | - Heena Rijhwani
- Department of Computer Science, Met College, Boston University, Boston, MA, United Kingdom
| | - Yuran Shi
- Department of Computer Science, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United Kingdom
| | - Eugene Pinsky
- Department of Computer Science, Met College, Boston University, Boston, MA, United Kingdom
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Salnikov L. Aging is a Side Effect of the Ontogenesis Program of Multicellular Organisms. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2022; 87:1498-1503. [PMID: 36717443 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297922120070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The review presents a brief outline of the current state of the main theoretical approaches to the aging problem. The works of authors, supporting the theory of "accumulation of errors" and theories stating the presence of a hypothetical "aging program" in all multicellular organisms are reviewed. The role of apoptosis and its connection with phenoptosis, as well as the theory of "hyperfunction" are analyzed. Our own approach to this problem is presented, in which aging is explained by the redistribution of limited resources between the two main aims of the organism: its self-sufficiency, based on the function of the housekeeping genes (HG) group, and functional specialization, provided by the integrative genes (IntG) group. Agreeing with the inseparable connection between aging and the ontogenesis program, the main role in the aging mechanisms is assigned to the redistribution of resources from the HG self-sufficiency genes to the IntGs necessary for the operation of all specialized functions of the organism as a whole. The growing imbalance between HGs and IntGs with age, suggests that switching of cellular resources in favor of IntGs is a side effect of ontogenesis program implementation and the main reason for aging, inherent in the nature of genome functioning under conditions of highly integrated multicellularity. The hypothesis of functional subdivision of the genome also points to the leading role of slow-dividing and postmitotic cells, as the most sensitive to reduction of repair levels, for triggering and realization of the aging process.
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Luís C, Maduro AT, Pereira P, Mendes JJ, Soares R, Ramalho R. Nutritional senolytics and senomorphics: Implications to immune cells metabolism and aging – from theory to practice. Front Nutr 2022; 9:958563. [PMID: 36159455 PMCID: PMC9493043 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.958563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is a natural physiological process, but one that poses major challenges in an increasingly aging society prone to greater health risks such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, frailty, increased susceptibility to infection, and reduced response to vaccine regimens. The loss of capacity for cell regeneration and the surrounding tissue microenvironment itself is conditioned by genetic, metabolic, and even environmental factors, such as nutrition. The senescence of the immune system (immunosenescence) represents a challenge, especially when associated with the presence of age-related chronic inflammation (inflammaging) and affecting the metabolic programming of immune cells (immunometabolism). These aspects are linked to poorer health outcomes and therefore present an opportunity for host-directed interventions aimed at both eliminating senescent cells and curbing the underlying inflammation. Senotherapeutics are a class of drugs and natural products that delay, prevent, or reverse the senescence process – senolytics; or inhibit senescence-associated secretory phenotype – senomorphics. Natural senotherapeutics from food sources – nutritional senotherapeutics – may constitute an interesting way to achieve better age-associated outcomes through personalized nutrition. In this sense, the authors present herein a framework of nutritional senotherapeutics as an intervention targeting immunosenescence and immunometabolism, identifying research gaps in this area, and gathering information on concluded and ongoing clinical trials on this subject. Also, we present future directions and ideation for future clinical possibilities in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Luís
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana T. Maduro
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula Pereira
- Nutritional Immunology – Clinical and Experimental Lab (NICE Lab), Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM, U4585 FCT), Egas Moniz Higher Education School, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
- Applied Nutrition Study Group (Grupo de Estudos em Nutrição Aplicada – G.E.N.A.-IUEM), Egas Moniz Higher Education School, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
- Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Egas Moniz Higher Education School, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
| | - José João Mendes
- Nutritional Immunology – Clinical and Experimental Lab (NICE Lab), Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM, U4585 FCT), Egas Moniz Higher Education School, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
- Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Egas Moniz Higher Education School, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
| | - Raquel Soares
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Renata Ramalho
- Nutritional Immunology – Clinical and Experimental Lab (NICE Lab), Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM, U4585 FCT), Egas Moniz Higher Education School, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
- Applied Nutrition Study Group (Grupo de Estudos em Nutrição Aplicada – G.E.N.A.-IUEM), Egas Moniz Higher Education School, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
- Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Egas Moniz Higher Education School, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Renata Ramalho,
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Mather KA. Genetic and Environmental Factors in Ageing and Age-Related Disease. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13030396. [PMID: 35327950 PMCID: PMC8955976 DOI: 10.3390/genes13030396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Karen A Mather
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia
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How to Slow Down the Ticking Clock: Age-Associated Epigenetic Alterations and Related Interventions to Extend Life Span. Cells 2022; 11:cells11030468. [PMID: 35159278 PMCID: PMC8915189 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic alterations pose one major hallmark of organismal aging. Here, we provide an overview on recent findings describing the epigenetic changes that arise during aging and in related maladies such as neurodegeneration and cancer. Specifically, we focus on alterations of histone modifications and DNA methylation and illustrate the link with metabolic pathways. Age-related epigenetic, transcriptional and metabolic deregulations are highly interconnected, which renders dissociating cause and effect complicated. However, growing amounts of evidence support the notion that aging is not only accompanied by epigenetic alterations, but also at least in part induced by those. DNA methylation clocks emerged as a tool to objectively determine biological aging and turned out as a valuable source in search of factors positively and negatively impacting human life span. Moreover, specific epigenetic signatures can be used as biomarkers for age-associated disorders or even as targets for therapeutic approaches, as will be covered in this review. Finally, we summarize recent potential intervention strategies that target epigenetic mechanisms to extend healthy life span and provide an outlook on future developments in the field of longevity research.
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Role of Melatonin in Angiotensin and Aging. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26154666. [PMID: 34361818 PMCID: PMC8347812 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26154666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular utilization of oxygen leads to the generation of free radicals in organisms. The accumulation of these free radicals contributes significantly to aging and several age-related diseases. Angiotensin II can contribute to DNA damage through oxidative stress by activating the NAD(P)H oxidase pathway, which in turn results in the production of reactive oxygen species. This radical oxygen-containing molecule has been linked to aging and several age-related disorders, including renal damage. Considering the role of angiotensin in aging, melatonin might relieve angiotensin-II-induced stress by enhancing the mitochondrial calcium uptake 1 pathway, which is crucial in preventing the mitochondrial calcium overload that may trigger increased production of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress. This review highlights the role and importance of melatonin together with angiotensin in aging and age-related diseases.
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