microRNA and aging
Studying the microRNAs of fruit flies provides clues to the aging process
LifeSciencesToday based on Rutgers University – Camden: Study of Fruit Fly microRNA Unravels Clues to Aging ProcessFruit fly.
(Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim)
Diseases such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's are often associated with aging, but the biological link between diseases and the aging process is less clear. Scientists from Rutgers University, Camden, want to understand this connection and believe that the microRNAs of ordinary fruit flies will help them in this.
microRNA molecules are associated with various stages of the development of the organism and pathological conditions, and their correct modulation is necessary to maintain the normal functioning of cells.
"In our experiment, we identified specific microRNA patterns in aging flies that help regulate genes when they are associated with certain proteins," says Ammar Naqvi, a doctoral student in computational and integrative biology at Rutgers–Camden.
In flies, to suppress gene expression, microRNAs are "loaded" onto one of two guiding protein complexes known as Ago1 or Ago2. Scientists have found that as fruit flies age, more microRNAs accumulate on the Ago2 protein complex, and, consequently, microRNAs influence aging-related events.
"We were able to link these two processes. It was known that some changes occur in the microRNA population during aging, but no one knew exactly how microRNAs are distributed across protein complexes. We established this distribution, and also recorded an increase in neurodegeneration, which led to a decrease in the lifespan of flies."
"Neurodegeneration and aging go hand in hand, but we were the first to show the details of this change in regulation in the aging process. This suggests that different regulatory mechanisms operate at different stages of development. Is aging a byproduct of development? I can't answer that question. It is quite possible that this applies to other diseases. This is what we want to find out," concludes the head of the study, Professor of biology at Rutgers University Andrey Grigoriev.
The study was conducted in collaboration with a group of scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and published in the journal Genes and Development (Abe et al., Impact of age-associated increase in 2'-O-methylation of miRNAs on aging and neurodegeneration in Drosophila).
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