What Worms Know about Aging
Metabolism is one of the key processes in the life of any creature. The effect of metabolism on life expectancy is difficult to overestimate: the influence of many genes on the aging process is shown, which is carried out due to the distribution of substances and energy inside the cell and in tissues. The effectiveness of diets and calorie restrictions for many species clearly illustrates this.
C. elegans is a popular model object for studying aging processes and mechanisms of longevity. These worms have a very short life cycle (2-3 weeks), and their genetics are well studied. In addition, many metabolic pathways of the nematode coincide with human ones, and genetic factors that determine the lifespan of worms are also present in human cells.
In the process of creating an optimal model for studying the aging processes, scientists have encountered a problem related to the fact that most of the techniques allow us to competently analyze the processes associated with growing up, and not aging. In order to circumvent this limitation, the scientists re-optimized the tools based on the data of the metabolome and transcriptome studies, which allowed a competent approach to the analysis of metabolic flows in the aging process.
Further studies revealed a number of metabolites whose values change significantly with age, and also revealed a decrease in mitochondrial function with age. Mitochondria are the energy stations of cells, and the disruption of their functions in the elderly may also be one of the causes of the development of senile diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.
Scientists hope that with the help of this model they will be able to better understand what changes in metabolism accompany aging, as well as find an approach to improving this process.
Article by Hastings et al. Multi-Omics and Genome-Scale Modeling Reveal a Metabolic Shift During C. elegans Aging published in Frontiers in Molecular Bioscience.
Anastasia Poznyak, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru / based on the materials of the Babraham Institute: What can worms tell us about human aging?