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A First Glance at the Gene Networks of Human Aging
July 29, 2004Boston, MA - July 29, 2004 - Scientists have rendered the first gene and protein networks of human aging, an important step in understanding the genetic mechanisms of aging. The work led by Joao Pedro de Magalhaes from Harvard Medical School is detailed in the July 30 issue of FEBS Letters.
The work involved the integration of all genes, in both humans and animal models, previously shown to influence aging. By using a combination of bibliographic information and modern high-throughput genomics, employing software developed by the team, each gene was placed in the context of human biology. The putative impact of each gene to human aging was calculated by a combination of manual and computational methods, leading to a new holistic view of the genetics of aging. To organize and catalog all the data pertaining the over 200 genes selected, the first curated database of genes related to human aging was developed: GenAge, part of the Human Ageing Genomic Resources also led by Dr. de Magalhaes. Thanks to the help of many other researchers, the Human Ageing Genomic Resources have become, in months, the landmark online website for research on aging, having been recently featured in Nature Reviews Genetics (volume 5, issue 5, page 330) and SAGE KE (2004 volume, issue 30, nf69), Science Magazine's website on aging research.
With the collaboration of researchers from the University of Namur in Belgium, scientists also analyzed protein-interaction maps for more specialized pathways previously linked with aging, such as the neuroendocrine regulation of aging and DNA metabolism. These findings and the rendered networks related to aging may prove useful to find novel genes of interest. In fact, several crucial nodes in the networks were identified by way of specialized software: a number of genes so far not linked to aging were chosen by a "guilt-by-association" methodology based on protein-protein interaction maps and data-mining algorithms. One intriguing finding was the apparent overlap between the genetics of aging and development. Aging could then be an indirect result of developmental pathways. The cascade of events that regulates ontogeny would then fade away after sexual maturity resulting in aging. Contrary to other theories of aging that argue aging derives from the accumulation of damage, Dr. de Magalhaes suggests that integrative pathways collaborate during development and then become disrupted during aging.
The GenAge database will be in constant development since several genes involved in aging are certainly yet to be identified. Even so, it provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art knowledge on human aging. While much works remains to fully understand aging, this is a major first step in understanding the genetic mechanisms of human aging and provides a framework for future experimental verification.
For more information: http://genomics.senescence.info
To obtain the article "GenAge: a genomic and proteomic network map of human ageing" (FEBS Letters, volume 571, issue 1-3, pages 243-247) please visit FEBS Letters:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00145793
The Human Ageing Genomic Resources in Nature Reviews Genetics: http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nrg/journal/v5/n5/full/nrg1362_fs.html
The Human Ageing Genomic Resources in SAGE KE: http://sageke.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2004/30/nf69
Kingston University
The GenAge database will be in constant development since several genes involved in aging are certainly yet to be identified. Even so, it provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art knowledge on human aging. While much works remains to fully understand aging, this is a major first step in understanding the genetic mechanisms of human aging and provides a framework for future experimental verification.
For more information: http://genomics.senescence.info
To obtain the article "GenAge: a genomic and proteomic network map of human ageing" (FEBS Letters, volume 571, issue 1-3, pages 243-247) please visit FEBS Letters:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00145793
The Human Ageing Genomic Resources in Nature Reviews Genetics: http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nrg/journal/v5/n5/full/nrg1362_fs.html
The Human Ageing Genomic Resources in SAGE KE: http://sageke.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2004/30/nf69
Kingston University
Aging Current Events and Aging News RSSVision problems prompt older drivers to put down the keys
With 30 million drivers in the US aged 65 and over, we count on older Americans to recognize when they can no longer drive safely and decide that it's time to stay off the road. A new study finds that a decrease in vision function is a key factor in bringing about this decision.
Old gastrointestinal drug slows aging, McGill researchers say
Recent animal studies have shown that clioquinol - an 80-year old drug once used to treat diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders - can reverse the progression of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.
Another reason to get your hands dirty
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week in order to maintain and improve optimal health.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center link blood sugar to normal cognitive aging
Maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important strategy for preserving cognitive health, suggests a study published by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The study appeared in the December issue of Annals of Neurology.
Aging brains allow negative memories to fade
It turns out there's a scientific reason why older people tend to see the past through rose-coloured glasses. A University of Alberta medical researcher, in collaboration with colleagues at Duke University, identified brain activity that causes older adults to remember fewer negative events than their younger counterparts.
A fading sense of smell may signal onset of Parkinson's disease
Many individuals with Parkinson's disease are able to recall losing their sense of smell well before the onset of more commonly recognized symptoms such as tremors, impaired dexterity, speech problems, memory loss and decreased cognitive ability.
The medium is the message: Manipulating salmonella in spaceflight curtails infectiousness
Infectious pathogens like Salmonella typhimurium employ a startling array of techniques to skillfully outwit the body's defense mechanisms and produce illness.
Cellular 'brakes' may slow memory process in aging brains
University of Florida researchers may have discovered why some brain cells necessary for healthy memory can survive old age or disease, while similar cells hardly a hairsbreadth away die.
Strategic video game improves critical cognitive skills in older adults
A desire to rule the world may be a good thing if you're over 60 and worried about losing your mental faculties. A new study found that adults in their 60s and 70s can improve a number of cognitive functions by playing a strategic video game that rewards nation-building and territorial expansion.
Cholinesterase inhibitors reduce aggression, wandering and paranoia in Alzheimer's disease
Cholinesterase inhibitors, used to treat cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, are also a safe and effective alternative therapy for the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, according to a study that appears in the December 2008 edition of Clinical Interventions in Aging.
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