Aging issues: a special application to Nature
On March 25, for the first time in 10 years, an additional issue of the journal Nature devoted to aging issues was published (the previous supplement to the journal with the same name “Nature Insight: Aging” was published in November 2000).
The issue includes several review articles detailing the results of recent studies on various aspects of aging.
In the introductory article "Aging", the editor-in-chief of the Marie-Therese Heemels issue notes that the aging of the body is closely related to the processes of extinction of tissue functions caused by the accumulation of damage to molecules and cells. Old age is the main risk factor for the development of many diseases, including cancer, as well as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.
The creation of genetically modified nematodes, the mutation of one gene in the genome of which allows them not only to live much longer than ordinary individuals, but also to remain young for a longer time, demonstrated to man the possibility of resisting the destructive action of time.
To date, scientists have already proved that modifying the work of certain signaling mechanisms and the diet can increase the life expectancy of many organisms, including yeast, roundworms, fruit flies and mice. An equally important result of these manipulations is the improvement of the health of the body as a whole, as well as the later development of age-related diseases. Most of the mechanisms involved have changed very little in the course of evolution, which creates prerequisites for using the data obtained by scientists to prolong human life and youth.
Currently, the number of people who have reached the age of 60 is rapidly increasing all over the world, so maintaining the health of the elderly population is of great importance. The information contained in the presented reviews gives hope that in the future a person will be able to prevent the development of age-related diseases by suppressing the aging process.
In the review "The genetics of aging", Cynthia J. Kenyon from the University of California discusses the achievements of scientists studying the mechanisms of aging on roundworms Caenorhabditis elegans. She separately focuses on all signaling mechanisms, manipulations with which affect the lifespan of worms, including mechanisms mediated by insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), Target of Rapamycin (Target of Rapamycin, TOR) and AMP kinase. The article also pays attention to the little-studied and unclear aspects of aging and the prospects for using the achievements of this field of research for the benefit of man.
Matt Kaeberlein from the University of Washington dedicated his article "Lessons on longevity from budding yeast" to studies of aging processes conducted on budding yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), which also brought scientists a rich harvest of valuable data. The author describes the principles of working with yeast cultures and the molecular mechanisms identified by scientists involved in regulating the lifespan of these organisms. In conclusion, he also addresses promising areas of further research and prospects for their application in clinical practice.
The authors of the article "Linking functional decline of telomeres, mitochondria and stem cells during aging" Ergun Sahin and Ronald A. DePinho from Harvard University describe the results obtained by scientists studying human genetic diseases, as well as using mouse models of such diseases to study the contribution of mechanisms for maintaining genome integrity, signaling DNA damage and regulating metabolism in the processes of aging. These data indicate that the age-related loss of the ability of telomeres to protect the end sections of chromosomes and the associated activation of the p53 protein are the main causes of the extinction of the functions of tissue stem cells and mitochondrial dysfunction, negatively affecting the bioenergetic state of various tissues. The authors note that the creation of a model that would allow observing the interaction of telomeres, stem cells and mitochondria with key molecules that ensure the maintenance of genome integrity, preservation of stem cell functions and metabolism, will provide an opportunity to identify various factors involved in the development of age-related diseases and the actual aging processes.
A group of authors from Harvard University dedicated their article "Neural mechanisms of aging and cognitive decline" to describing the latest achievements obtained by specialists engaged in the study of the biological mechanisms underlying the development of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases characteristic of the elderly. The study of this issue is extremely important, since the achievements of medical science over the last century have significantly increased human life expectancy due to the emergence of effective methods of treating diseases of young and middle age. However, this means an inevitable increase in the number of age-related diseases. So, according to statistics, Alzheimer's disease currently affects about 50% of people over the age of 85.
In the final article of the issue of "Biodemography of human aging", James W. Vaupel from the Max Planck Institute discusses the dynamics and prospects of the trend observed in recent decades towards an increase in human life expectancy and working capacity, as well as the impact of these factors on the quality of life of individuals and on society and the economy as a whole.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Nature.
30.03.2010