The mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) is one of the mito-nuclear regulatory circuits that restores mitochondrial function upon stress conditions, promoting metabolic health and longevity. However, the complex gene interactions that govern this pathway and its role in aging and healthspan remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we activated the UPRmt using doxycycline (Dox) in a genetically diverse C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR) is one of the mito-nuclear regulatory circuits that restores mitochondrial function upon stress conditions, promoting metabolic health and longevity. However, the complex gene interactions that govern this pathway and its role in aging and healthspan remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we activated the UPR using doxycycline (Dox) in a genetically diverse population comprising 85 strains and observed large variation in Dox-induced lifespan extension across these strains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComplex lipid metabolism plays a crucial role in regulating aging. We recently discovered that the phospholipid bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP) increases in aged human muscles and many mouse tissues. The phospholipase PLA2G15 is reportedly involved in BMP synthesis, however, its specific role in aging remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPerturbing mitochondrial translation represents a conserved longevity intervention, with proteostasis processes proposed to mediate the resulting lifespan extension. Here, we explore whether other mechanisms may contribute to lifespan extension upon mitochondrial translation inhibition. Using multi-omics and functional in vivo screening, we identify the ethylmalonyl-CoA decarboxylase orthologue C32E8.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLysosomes are cytoplasmic organelles central for the degradation of macromolecules to maintain cellular homoeostasis and health. However, how lysosomal activity can be boosted to counteract ageing and ageing-related diseases remains elusive. Here we reveal that silencing specific vacuolar H-ATPase subunits (for example, vha-6), which are essential for intestinal lumen acidification in Caenorhabditis elegans, extends lifespan by ~60%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAging is a major risk factor for disease, and developing effective pharmaceutical interventions to improve healthspan and promote longevity has become a high priority for society. One of the molecular pathways related to longevity in various model organisms revolves around lowering AKT1 levels. This prompted our in silico drug screen for small molecules capable of mimicking the transcriptional effects of AKT1 knockdown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComplex lipids, essential components in biological processes, exhibit conserved age-related changes that alter membrane properties and cellular functions and are implicated as biomarkers and contributors to longevity and age-related diseases. While physical activity alleviates age-related comorbidities and physical impairments, comprehensive exploration of the underlying biological mechanisms, particularly at the level of complex lipids, remains limited. However, clinical studies suggest that physical activity may counteract these age-related lipidomic changes, presenting a promising avenue for intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLifespan is influenced by complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Studying those factors in model organisms of a single genetic background limits their translational value for humans. Here, we mapped lifespan determinants in 85 C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLifespan is influenced by complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Studying those factors in model organisms of a single genetic background limits their translational value for humans. Here, we mapped lifespan determinants in 85 genetically diverse recombinant intercross advanced inbred lines (RIAILs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Discov
September 2023
Lysosomes are central platforms for not only the degradation of macromolecules but also the integration of multiple signaling pathways. However, whether and how lysosomes mediate the mitochondrial stress response (MSR) remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that lysosomal acidification via the vacuolar H-ATPase (v-ATPase) is essential for the transcriptional activation of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMass spectrometry-based large-scale multi-omics research has proven to be powerful in answering biological questions; nonetheless, it faces many challenges from sample preparation to downstream data integration. To efficiently extract biomolecules of different physicochemical properties, preparation of various sample type needs specific tailoring, especially of difficult ones, such as . In this study, we sought to develop a multi-omics sample preparation method starting with a single set of samples to save time, minimize variability, expand biomolecule coverage, and promote multi-omics integration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe human population is aging, and the need for interventions to slow progression of age-related diseases (geroprotective interventions) is growing. Repurposing compounds already used clinically, usually at modified doses, allows rapid implementation of geroprotective pharmaceuticals. Here we find the anti-retroviral nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) zidovudine robustly extends lifespan and health span in C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cell Biol
January 2023
To adapt mitochondrial function to the ever-changing intra- and extracellular environment, multiple mitochondrial stress response (MSR) pathways, including the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), have evolved. However, how the mitochondrial stress signal is sensed and relayed to UPRmt transcription factors, such as ATFS-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans, remains largely unknown. Here, we show that a panel of vacuolar H+-ATPase (v-ATPase) subunits and the target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) activity are essential for the cytosolic relay of mitochondrial stress to ATFS-1 and for the induction of the UPRmt.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDNA variants that modulate life span provide insight into determinants of health, disease, and aging. Through analyses in the UM-HET3 mice of the Interventions Testing Program (ITP), we detected a sex-independent quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 12 and identified sex-specific QTLs, some of which we detected only in older mice. Similar relations between life history and longevity were uncovered in mice and humans, underscoring the importance of early access to nutrients and early growth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeregulated energy homeostasis represents a hallmark of aging and results from complex gene-by-environment interactions. Here, we discovered that reducing the expression of the gene ech-6 encoding enoyl-CoA hydratase remitted fat diet-induced deleterious effects on lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans, while a basal expression of ech-6 was important for survival under normal dietary conditions. Lipidomics revealed that supplementation of fat in ech-6-silenced worms had marginal effects on lipid profiles, suggesting an alternative fat utilization for energy production.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) is a promising pharmacological target for aging and age-related diseases. However, the integrative analysis of the impact of UPRmt activation on different signaling layers in animals with different genetic backgrounds is lacking. Here, we applied systems approaches to investigate the effect of UPRmt induced by doxycycline (Dox) on transcriptome, proteome, and lipidome in two genetically divergent worm strains, named N2 and CB4856.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrganisms respond to mitochondrial stress by activating multiple defense pathways including the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR). However, how UPR regulators are orchestrated to transcriptionally activate stress responses remains largely unknown. Here we identified CBP-1, the worm ortholog of the mammalian acetyltransferases CBP/p300, as an essential regulator of the UPR, as well as mitochondrial stress-induced immune response, reduction of amyloid-β aggregation and lifespan extension in .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComprehensive metabolomic and lipidomic mass spectrometry methods are in increasing demand; for instance, in research related to nutrition and aging. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a key model organism in these fields, owing to the large repository of available C. elegans mutants and their convenient natural lifespan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe functions of many eukaryotic genes are still poorly understood. Here, we developed and validated a new method, termed GeneBridge, which is based on two linked approaches to impute gene function and bridge genes with biological processes. First, ene-odule ssociation etermination (G-MAD) allows the annotation of gene function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe deregulation of metabolism is a hallmark of aging. As such, changes in the expression of metabolic genes and the profiles of amino acid levels are features associated with aging animals. We previously reported that the levels of most amino acids decline with age in Caenorhabditis elegans (C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetabolism is one of the attributes of life and supplies energy and building blocks to organisms. Therefore, understanding metabolism is crucial for the understanding of complex biological phenomena. Despite having been in the focus of research for centuries, our picture of metabolism is still incomplete.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExp Gerontol
November 2018
Impaired insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) and caloric restriction (CR) prolong lifespan in the nematode C. elegans. However, a cross comparison of these longevity pathways using a multi-omics integration approach is lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenome Res
September 2018
Metabolic homeostasis is sustained by complex biological networks that respond to nutrient availability. Genetic and environmental factors may disrupt this equilibrium, leading to metabolic disorders, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. To identify the genetic factors controlling metabolism, we performed quantitative genetic analysis using a population of 199 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) in the nematode We focused on the genomic regions that control metabolite levels by measuring fatty acid (FA) and amino acid (AA) composition in the RILs using targeted metabolomics.
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