The gut-liver axis denotes the intricate connection and interaction between gut microbiome and liver, in which compositional and functional shifts in gut microbiome affect host metabolism. Hepatic portal vein of the b...The gut-liver axis denotes the intricate connection and interaction between gut microbiome and liver, in which compositional and functional shifts in gut microbiome affect host metabolism. Hepatic portal vein of the blood circulation system has been thought to be the major route for metabolite transportation in the gut-liver axis, but the existence and importance of other routes remain elusive. Here, we perform metabolome comparison in blood circulation and mesenteric lymph systems and identify significantly shifted metabolites in serum and mesentery. Using cellular assays, we find that the majority of decreased metabolites in lymph system under high-fat diet are effective in alleviating metabolic disorders, indicating a high potential of lymph system in regulating liver metabolism. Among those, a representative metabolite, L-carnitine, reduces diet-induced obesity in mice. Metabolic tracing analysis identifies that L-carnitine is independently transported by the mesenteric lymph system, serving as an example that lymph circulation comprises a second route in the gut-liver axis to modulate liver metabolism. Our study provides new insights into metabolite transportation via mesenteric lymph system in the gut-liver axis, offers an extended scope for the investigations in host-gut microbiota metabolic interactions and potentially new targets in the treatment of metabolic disorders.展开更多
Dear Editor,In the intestine of humans and other animals,the commensal microbiome has complex roles in shaping infections(Khan et al.,2021).Commensal microbiome contains opportunistic pathogens that are usually suppre...Dear Editor,In the intestine of humans and other animals,the commensal microbiome has complex roles in shaping infections(Khan et al.,2021).Commensal microbiome contains opportunistic pathogens that are usually suppressed but can cause infection under microbiome dysbiosis or environmental disturbances(Dey and Ray Chaudhuri,2023).展开更多
Aging biomarkers are a combination of biological parameters to(i)assess age-related changes,(ii)track the physiological aging process,and(iii)predict the transition into a pathological status.Although a broad spectrum...Aging biomarkers are a combination of biological parameters to(i)assess age-related changes,(ii)track the physiological aging process,and(iii)predict the transition into a pathological status.Although a broad spectrum of aging biomarkers has been developed,their potential uses and limitations remain poorly characterized.An immediate goal of biomarkers is to help us answer the following three fundamental questions in aging research:How old are we?Why do we get old?And how can we age slower?This review aims to address this need.Here,we summarize our current knowledge of biomarkers developed for cellular,organ,and organismal levels of aging,comprising six pillars:physiological characteristics,medical imaging,histological features,cellular alterations,molecular changes,and secretory factors.To fulfill all these requisites,we propose that aging biomarkers should qualify for being specific,systemic,and clinically relevant.展开更多
Aging increases the risk of various diseases. The main goal of aging research is to find therapies that attenuate aging and alleviate aging-related diseases. In this study, we screened a natural product library for ge...Aging increases the risk of various diseases. The main goal of aging research is to find therapies that attenuate aging and alleviate aging-related diseases. In this study, we screened a natural product library for geroprotective compounds using Werner syndrome (WS) human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), a premature aging model that we recently established. Ten candidate compounds were identified and quercetin was investigated in detail due to its leading effects. Mechanistic studies revealed that quercetin alleviated senescence via the enhancement of cell proliferation and restoration of heterochromatin architecture in WS hMSCs. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed the transcriptional commonalities and differences in the geroprotective effects by quercetin and Vitamin C. Besides WS hMSCs, quercetin also attenuated cellular senescence in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) and physiological-aging hMSCs. Taken together, our study identifies quercetin as a geroprotective agent against accelerated and natural aging in hMSCs, providing a potential therapeutic intervention for treating age-associated disorders.展开更多
SIRT7,a sirtuin family member implicated in aging and disease,is a regulator of metabolism and stress responses.It remains elusive how human somatic stem cell populations might be impacted by SIRT7.Here,we found that ...SIRT7,a sirtuin family member implicated in aging and disease,is a regulator of metabolism and stress responses.It remains elusive how human somatic stem cell populations might be impacted by SIRT7.Here,we found that SIRT7 expression declines during human mesenchymal stem cell(hMSC)aging and that SIRT7 deficiency accelerates senescence.Mechanistically,SIRT7 forms a complex with nuclear lamina proteins and heterochromatin proteins,thus maintaining the repressive state of heterochromatin at nuclear periphery.Accordingly,deficiency of SIRT7 results in loss of heterochromatin,derepression of the LINE1 retrotransposon(LINE1),and activation of innate immune signaling via the cGAS-STING pathway.These agingassociated cellular defects were reversed by overexpression of heterochromatin proteins or treatment with a LINE1 targeted reverse-transcriptase inhibitor.Together,these findings highlight how SIRT7 safeguards chromatin architecture to control innate immune regulation and ensure geroprotection during stem cell aging.展开更多
progeria syndrome （HGPS） and Wemer syndrome （WS） are two of the best characterized human progeroid syndromes. HGPS is caused by a point mutation in lamin A （LMNA） gene, resulting in the production of a truncated...progeria syndrome （HGPS） and Wemer syndrome （WS） are two of the best characterized human progeroid syndromes. HGPS is caused by a point mutation in lamin A （LMNA） gene, resulting in the production of a truncated protein product-progerin. WS is caused by mutations in 14/RN gem）, encoding a loss-of-function RecQ DNA helicase. Here, by gene editing we created isogenic human embryonic stem cells （ESCs） with heterozygous （G608G/＋） or homozygous （G608G/G608G） LMNA mutation and biallelic WRN knockout, for modeling HGPS and WS pathogenesis, respectively. While ESCs and endothelial cells （ECs） did not present any features of premature senescence, HGPS- and WS-mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） showed aging-associated phenotypes with different kinetics. WS-MSCs had early-onset mild premature aging phenotypes while HGPS-MSCs exhibited iate-onset acute premature aging characterisitcs. Taken together, our study compares and contrasts the distinct pathologies underpinning the two premature aging disorders, and provides reliable stem-cell based models to identify new therapeutic strategies for pathological and physiological aging.展开更多
Aging is characterized by a progressive deterioration of physiological integrity,leading to impaired functional ability and ultimately increased susceptibility to death.It is a major risk factor for chronic human dise...Aging is characterized by a progressive deterioration of physiological integrity,leading to impaired functional ability and ultimately increased susceptibility to death.It is a major risk factor for chronic human diseases,including cardiovascular disease,diabetes,neurological degeneration,and cancer.Therefore,the growing emphasis on “healthy aging” raises a series of important questions in life and social sciences.In recent years,there has been unprecedented progress in aging research,particularly the discovery that the rate of aging is at least partly controlled by evolutionarily conserved genetic pathways and biological processes.In an attempt to bring full-fledged understanding to both the aging process and age-associated diseases,we review the descriptive,conceptual,and interventive aspects of the landscape of aging composed of a number of layers at the cellular,tissue,organ,organ system,and organismal levels.展开更多
Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy(CADASIL)is a rare hereditary cerebrovascular disease caused by a NOTCH3 mutation.However,the underlying cellular and molecular...Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy(CADASIL)is a rare hereditary cerebrovascular disease caused by a NOTCH3 mutation.However,the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unidentified.Here,we generated non-integrative induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs)from fibroblasts of a CADASIL patient harboring a heterozygous NOTCH3 mutation(c.3226C>T,p.R1076C).Vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs)differentiated from CADASIL-specific iPSCs showed gene expression changes associated with disease phenotypes,including activation of the NOTCH and NF-kB signaling pathway,cytoskeleton disorganization,and excessive cell proliferation.In comparison,these abnormalities were not observed in vascular endothelial cells(VECs)derived from the patients iPSCs.Importantly,the abnormal upregulation of NF-kB target genes in CADASIL VSMCs was diminished by a NOTCH pathway inhibitor,providing a potential therapeutic strategy for CADASIL.Overall,using this iPSCbased disease model,our study identified clues for studying the pathogenic mechanisms of CADASIL and developing treatment strategies for this disease.展开更多
Age-associated changes in immune cells have been linked to an increased risk for infection.However,a global and detailed characterization of the changes that human circulating immune cells undergo with age is lacking....Age-associated changes in immune cells have been linked to an increased risk for infection.However,a global and detailed characterization of the changes that human circulating immune cells undergo with age is lacking.Here,we combined scRNA-seq,mass cytometry and sCATAC-seq to compare immune cell types in peripheral blood collected from young and old subjects and patients with COVID-19.We found that the immune cell landscape was reprogrammed with age and was characterized by T cell polarization from naive and memory cells to effector,cytotoxic,exhausted and reg-ulatory cells,along with increased late natural killer cells,age-associated B cells,inflammatory monocytes and age-associated dendritic cells.In addition,the expression of genes,which were implicated in coron-avirus susceptibility,was upregulated in a cell subtype-specific manner with age.Notably,COVID-19 promoted age-induced immune cell polarization and gene expression related to inflammation and cellular senes-cence.Therefore,these findings suggest that a dysreg-ulated immune system and increased gene expression associated with SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility may at least partially account for COVID-19 vulnerability in the elderly.展开更多
Dear Editor,Aging is the leading risk factor for many chronic diseases,accounting for almost 60%of all deaths worldwide.How to achieve healthy aging,alleviate aging-related diseases,and extend healthspan has become a ...Dear Editor,Aging is the leading risk factor for many chronic diseases,accounting for almost 60%of all deaths worldwide.How to achieve healthy aging,alleviate aging-related diseases,and extend healthspan has become a main topic of biomedical research(He et al.,2019).Geroprotective compounds,such as metformin and rapamycin,have been shown to improve both healthspan and lifespan in mice(Martin-Montalvo et al.,2013;Bitto et al.,2016),whereas nicotinamide partially improves healthspan in mice(Mitchell et al.,2018).展开更多
RAP1 is a well-known telomere-binding protein, but its functions in human stem cells have remained unclea匚 Here we generated RAP1 -deficient human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) by using CRISPR/Cas9 technique and obtai...RAP1 is a well-known telomere-binding protein, but its functions in human stem cells have remained unclea匚 Here we generated RAP1 -deficient human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) by using CRISPR/Cas9 technique and obtained RAP1-deficient human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and neural stem cells (hNSCs) via directed differentiation. In both hMSCs and hNSCs, RAP1 not only negatively regulated telomere length but also acted as a transcriptional regulator of RELN by tuning the methylation status of its gene promoter. RAP1 deficiency enhanced self-renewal and delayed senescence in hMSCs, but not in hNSCs, suggesting complicated lineage-specific effects of RAP1 in adult stem cells.Altogether, these results demonstrate for the first time that RAP1 plays both telomeric and nontelomeric roles in regulating human stem cell homeostasis.展开更多
Vascular cell functionality is critical to blood vessel homeostasis. Constitutive NF-κB activation in vascular cells results in chronic vascular inflammation, leading to various cardiovascular diseases. However, how ...Vascular cell functionality is critical to blood vessel homeostasis. Constitutive NF-κB activation in vascular cells results in chronic vascular inflammation, leading to various cardiovascular diseases. However, how NF-κB regulates human blood vessel homeostasis remains largely elusive. Here, using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing, we generated RelA knockout human embryonic stem cells （hESCs） and differentiated them into various vascular cell derivatives to study how NF- KS modulates human vascular cells under basal and inflammatory conditions. Multi-dimensional phenotypic assessments and transcriptomic analyses revealed that RelA deficiency affected vascular cells via modulatinginflammation, survival, vasculogenesis, cell differentia- tion and extracellular matrix organization in a cell type- specific manner under basal condition, and that RelA protected vascular cells against apoptosis and modu- lated vascular inflammatory response upon tumor necrosis factor a （TNFa） stimulation. Lastly, further evaluation of gene expression patterns in IKBo knockout vascular cells demonstrated that IKBa acted largely independent of RelA signaling. Taken together, our data reveal a protective role of NF-κB/ReiA in modulating human blood vessel homeostasis and map the human vascular transcriptomic landscapes for the discovery of novel therapeutic targets.展开更多
The percentage of elderly people in the world is increasing at an unprecedented pace;so it is in China, which has the world s largest population and a high ratio of the seniors (aged 60 and above) to working-age adult...The percentage of elderly people in the world is increasing at an unprecedented pace;so it is in China, which has the world s largest population and a high ratio of the seniors (aged 60 and above) to working-age adults. The growing elderly population is presenting a major social challenge. Accordingly, it is not only imperative as a national strategic demand but also promises great scientific values to understand the biological process of aging, explore the mystery of healthy aging, delay the aging process, and treat the age-related diseases. This Perspective summarizes past and present advances of the basic and translational aging research in China and offers perspectives on future endeavors in this area.展开更多
Dear Editor, The retina is a light-sensitive highly-organized tissue,which is vulnerable to aging and age-related retinal diseases.Specifically,progressive retinal degeneration leads to visual function deterioration a...Dear Editor, The retina is a light-sensitive highly-organized tissue,which is vulnerable to aging and age-related retinal diseases.Specifically,progressive retinal degeneration leads to visual function deterioration and vision impairment in the elderly(Lin et al.,2016).In diseases such as age-related macular degeneration(AMD),retinitis pigmentosa(RP)and diabetic retinopathy(DR),pathological process lacking effective treatments profoundly and negatively impact on the quality of life in the elderly(Lin et al.,2016;Chen et al.,2019).Thus,an in-depth molecular assessment of the mechanisms driv-ing retinal aging is of urgent scientific and medical importance.展开更多
Aging poses a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases,the leading cause of death in the aged population.However,the cell type-specific changes underlying cardiac aging are far from being clear.Here,we performed ...Aging poses a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases,the leading cause of death in the aged population.However,the cell type-specific changes underlying cardiac aging are far from being clear.Here,we performed single-nucleus RNA-sequencing analysis of left ventricles from young and aged cynomolgus monkeys to define cell composition changes and transcriptomic alterations across different cell types associated with age.We found that aged cardiomyocytes underwent a dramatic loss in cell numbers and profound fluctuations in transcriptional profles.Via transcription regulatory network analysis,we identified FOxP1,a core transcription factor in organ development,as a key downregulated factor in aged cardiomyocytes,concomitant with the dysregulation of FoxP1 target genes associated with heart function and cardiac diseases.Consistently,the deficiency of FOxP1 led to hypertrophic and senescent phenotypes in human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.Altogether,our findings depict the celiular and molecular landscape of ventricular aging at the single-cell resolution,and identify drivers for primate cardiac aging and potential targets for intervention against cardiac aging and associated diseases.展开更多
Dear Editor,Myocardial infarction(MI)is the irreversible cardiomyocyte death resulting from prolonged oxygen deprivation due to obstructed blood supply(ischemia),leading to contractile dysfunction and cardiac remodeli...Dear Editor,Myocardial infarction(MI)is the irreversible cardiomyocyte death resulting from prolonged oxygen deprivation due to obstructed blood supply(ischemia),leading to contractile dysfunction and cardiac remodeling.In recent decades,stem cell transplantation has been extensively investigated for the repair of injured heart in animal studies and clinical trials(Kanelidis et al.,2017;Gyongyosi et al.,2018).展开更多
Dear Editor,The human body operates optimally at a core temperature of 37 degrees Celsius.Homeostasis at this temperature is essential for cellular and physiological functions(Cheshire,2016).However,infectious disease...Dear Editor,The human body operates optimally at a core temperature of 37 degrees Celsius.Homeostasis at this temperature is essential for cellular and physiological functions(Cheshire,2016).However,infectious diseases,inflammation,injury,neoplasia,and elevated climate temperature can cause a regulated rise in body core temperature,i.e.,fever(Pasi-khova et al,2017).Indeed,an acute or chronic increase in temperature leads to detrimental effects on vasculature by altering a number of indices of vascular structure and function(DuBose et al.,1998).展开更多
Although the mTOR-4E-BP1 signaling pathway is implicated in aging and aging-related disorders,the role of 4E-BP1 in regulating human stem cell homeostasis remains largely unknown.Here,we report that the expression of ...Although the mTOR-4E-BP1 signaling pathway is implicated in aging and aging-related disorders,the role of 4E-BP1 in regulating human stem cell homeostasis remains largely unknown.Here,we report that the expression of 4E-BP1 decreases along with the senescence of human mesenchymal stem celis(hMSCs).Genetic inactivation of 4E-BP1 in hMSCs compromises mitochondrial respiration,increases mitochondrial reactive oxygen species(Ros)production,and accelerates cellular senescence.Mechanistically,the absence of 4E-BP1 destabilizes proteins in mitochondrial respiration complexes,especially several key subunits of complex III including UQCRC2.Ectopic expression of 4E-BP1 attenuates mitochondrial abnormalities and alleviates cellular senescence in 4E-BP1-deficient hMSCs as well as in physiologically aged hMSCs.These findings together demonstrate that 4E-BP1 functions as a geroprotector to mitigate human stem cell senescence and maintain mitochondrial homeostasis,particularly for the mitochondrial respiration complex Il,thus providing a new potential target to counteract human stem cell senescence.展开更多
Dear Editor,Circadian rhythms are the periodic turmover of biological behaviors and physiological functions of many organisms(Allada and Bass,2021).In mammals,circadian rhythms are maintained by the clock system,invol...Dear Editor,Circadian rhythms are the periodic turmover of biological behaviors and physiological functions of many organisms(Allada and Bass,2021).In mammals,circadian rhythms are maintained by the clock system,involving central clock in suprachiasmatic nucleus and peripheral clock in organs like intestine;and at cellular level a cell-autonomous transcriptional and translational feedback loop involving clock genes like BMAL1(brain and muscle ARNT-Like 1,also known as ARNTL),CLOCK(clock circadian regulator),PER1/2/3(period circadian regulator 1/2/3)and CRY1/2(cryptochrome circadian regulator 1/2)(Allada and Bass,2021).展开更多
Dear Editor,The interventions that slow aging or promote healthy aging may provide preventative measures for age-related diseases(Zhang et al.,2015).Therefore,it is crucial to identify drugs that target aging-related ...Dear Editor,The interventions that slow aging or promote healthy aging may provide preventative measures for age-related diseases(Zhang et al.,2015).Therefore,it is crucial to identify drugs that target aging-related pathologies and improve health-span in geroscience research.Using model organisms such as C.elegans and rodents,several small molecules capable of alleviating the onset or progression of aging,including rapamycin,nicotinamide mononucleotide,and metformin,have been discovered(Partridge et al.,2020).However,the safety and efficacy of these chemicals still need in-depth evaluation before clinical applications(Partridge et al.,2020).As a result,it is necessary to identify additional compounds with geroprotective effects for human cells to counteract the general trend of populational aging.However,transforming a promising compound into an approved drug requires enormous resources.Alternatively,repurposing previously approved drugs for new clinical applications offers a more efficient and less costly path toward drug develop-ment.Therefore,testing U.S.Food and Drug Administration(FDA)-approved drugs for geroprotective effects may dis-covernew therapeutics that have already been stringently tested in humans for safety.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91857101)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB29020000)the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC2000500)
文摘The gut-liver axis denotes the intricate connection and interaction between gut microbiome and liver, in which compositional and functional shifts in gut microbiome affect host metabolism. Hepatic portal vein of the blood circulation system has been thought to be the major route for metabolite transportation in the gut-liver axis, but the existence and importance of other routes remain elusive. Here, we perform metabolome comparison in blood circulation and mesenteric lymph systems and identify significantly shifted metabolites in serum and mesentery. Using cellular assays, we find that the majority of decreased metabolites in lymph system under high-fat diet are effective in alleviating metabolic disorders, indicating a high potential of lymph system in regulating liver metabolism. Among those, a representative metabolite, L-carnitine, reduces diet-induced obesity in mice. Metabolic tracing analysis identifies that L-carnitine is independently transported by the mesenteric lymph system, serving as an example that lymph circulation comprises a second route in the gut-liver axis to modulate liver metabolism. Our study provides new insights into metabolite transportation via mesenteric lymph system in the gut-liver axis, offers an extended scope for the investigations in host-gut microbiota metabolic interactions and potentially new targets in the treatment of metabolic disorders.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFC2303200,2020YFA0113400)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(92368112)+4 种基金Beijing Natural Science Foundation(JQ22017)CAS Project for Young Scientists in Basic Research(YSBR-076)Initiative Scientific Research Program of the Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(2024IOZ0103,2023IOZ0202)State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction of the Chinese Academy of Sciencessupport from the CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology at Institute of Microbiology.
文摘Dear Editor,In the intestine of humans and other animals,the commensal microbiome has complex roles in shaping infections(Khan et al.,2021).Commensal microbiome contains opportunistic pathogens that are usually suppressed but can cause infection under microbiome dysbiosis or environmental disturbances(Dey and Ray Chaudhuri,2023).
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31730036,31871380,31871382,31930055,31930058,32000500,32022034,32030033,32070730,32130046,3217050247,32150005,32200595,32222024,81730019,81730022,81830014,81921006,81925005,81970426,81971301,81971312,82030041,82061160495,82070805,82071595,82090020,82100841,82120108009,82122024,82125002,82125011,82125012,82130045,82171284,82173061,82173398,82225007,82225015,82225017,82225018,82230047,82230088,82271600,91949106,91949201,92049116,92049302,92049304,92149303,92149306,92157202,92168201,92169102,92249301,92268201)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFA0800700,2018YFC2000100,2018YFC2000102,2018YFC2002003,2019YFA0110900,2019YFA0801703,2019YFA0801903,2019YFA0802202,2019YFA0904800,2020YFA0113400,2020YFA0803401,2020YFA0804000,2020YFC2002900,2020YFC2008000,2020YFE0202200,2021YFA0804900,2021YFA1100103,2021YFA1100900,2021YFE0114200,2021ZD0202400,2022YFA0806001,2022YFA0806002,2022YFA0806600,2022YFA1103200,2022YFA1103601,2022YFA1103701,2022YFA1103800,2022YFA1103801,2022YFA1104100,2022YFA1104904,2022YFA1303000,2022YFC2009900,2022YFC2502401,2022YFC3602400,2022YFE0118000,2022ZD0213200)+14 种基金the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA16030302,XDB39000000,XDB39030600)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences(2020085,2021080)CAS Project for Young Scientists in Basic Research(YSBR-076)the Program of the Beijing Natural Science Foundation(JQ20031)Clinical Research Operating Fund of Central High level hospitals(2022-PUMCHE-001)CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences(CIFMS)(2022-I2M1-004)Talent Program of the Chinese Academy of Medical Science(2022RC310-10)Research Funds from Health@Inno HK Program launched by Innovation Technology Commission of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2020B1515020044)Guangzhou Planned Project of Science and Technology(202002020039)the Major Technology Innovation of Hubei Province(2019ACA141)the Science and Technology Major Project of Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Department(2021SK1010)Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project(2017SHZDZX01)the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province(2023NSFSC0003)Yunnan Fundamental Research Project(202201AS070080)the State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology。
文摘Aging biomarkers are a combination of biological parameters to(i)assess age-related changes,(ii)track the physiological aging process,and(iii)predict the transition into a pathological status.Although a broad spectrum of aging biomarkers has been developed,their potential uses and limitations remain poorly characterized.An immediate goal of biomarkers is to help us answer the following three fundamental questions in aging research:How old are we?Why do we get old?And how can we age slower?This review aims to address this need.Here,we summarize our current knowledge of biomarkers developed for cellular,organ,and organismal levels of aging,comprising six pillars:physiological characteristics,medical imaging,histological features,cellular alterations,molecular changes,and secretory factors.To fulfill all these requisites,we propose that aging biomarkers should qualify for being specific,systemic,and clinically relevant.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2017YFA0103304)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA16010100)+5 种基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2015CB964800,2017YFA0102802,2014CB910503 and 2018YFA0107203)the National High Tech no logy Research and Development Program of China(2015AA020307)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.31671429,91749202,91749123,81625009,81330008,81371342,81471414,81422017,81601233,81671377,31601109,31601158,81771515 and 81701388)Program of Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission(Z151100003 915072)Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KJZDEW-TZ-L05),Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning(PXM2018_026283_000002)Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection(117212).
文摘Aging increases the risk of various diseases. The main goal of aging research is to find therapies that attenuate aging and alleviate aging-related diseases. In this study, we screened a natural product library for geroprotective compounds using Werner syndrome (WS) human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), a premature aging model that we recently established. Ten candidate compounds were identified and quercetin was investigated in detail due to its leading effects. Mechanistic studies revealed that quercetin alleviated senescence via the enhancement of cell proliferation and restoration of heterochromatin architecture in WS hMSCs. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed the transcriptional commonalities and differences in the geroprotective effects by quercetin and Vitamin C. Besides WS hMSCs, quercetin also attenuated cellular senescence in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) and physiological-aging hMSCs. Taken together, our study identifies quercetin as a geroprotective agent against accelerated and natural aging in hMSCs, providing a potential therapeutic intervention for treating age-associated disorders.
文摘SIRT7,a sirtuin family member implicated in aging and disease,is a regulator of metabolism and stress responses.It remains elusive how human somatic stem cell populations might be impacted by SIRT7.Here,we found that SIRT7 expression declines during human mesenchymal stem cell(hMSC)aging and that SIRT7 deficiency accelerates senescence.Mechanistically,SIRT7 forms a complex with nuclear lamina proteins and heterochromatin proteins,thus maintaining the repressive state of heterochromatin at nuclear periphery.Accordingly,deficiency of SIRT7 results in loss of heterochromatin,derepression of the LINE1 retrotransposon(LINE1),and activation of innate immune signaling via the cGAS-STING pathway.These agingassociated cellular defects were reversed by overexpression of heterochromatin proteins or treatment with a LINE1 targeted reverse-transcriptase inhibitor.Together,these findings highlight how SIRT7 safeguards chromatin architecture to control innate immune regulation and ensure geroprotection during stem cell aging.
文摘progeria syndrome （HGPS） and Wemer syndrome （WS） are two of the best characterized human progeroid syndromes. HGPS is caused by a point mutation in lamin A （LMNA） gene, resulting in the production of a truncated protein product-progerin. WS is caused by mutations in 14/RN gem）, encoding a loss-of-function RecQ DNA helicase. Here, by gene editing we created isogenic human embryonic stem cells （ESCs） with heterozygous （G608G/＋） or homozygous （G608G/G608G） LMNA mutation and biallelic WRN knockout, for modeling HGPS and WS pathogenesis, respectively. While ESCs and endothelial cells （ECs） did not present any features of premature senescence, HGPS- and WS-mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） showed aging-associated phenotypes with different kinetics. WS-MSCs had early-onset mild premature aging phenotypes while HGPS-MSCs exhibited iate-onset acute premature aging characterisitcs. Taken together, our study compares and contrasts the distinct pathologies underpinning the two premature aging disorders, and provides reliable stem-cell based models to identify new therapeutic strategies for pathological and physiological aging.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31871380,32000500,32070730,32170756,32170804,81330008,81671377,81725010,81725010,81872874,81921006,81922027,81971312,81991512,82030041,82103167,82122024,82125009,82125011,82130044,91749126,91949101,91949207,92049302)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2017YFA0506400,2018YFA0800200,2018YFA0800700,2018YFA0900200,2018YFC2000100,2018YFC2000400,2018YFE-0203700,20192ACB70002,2019YFA0802202,2020YFA0113400,2020YFA0803401,2020YFA0804000,2020YFC2002800,2020YFC-2002900,2021ZD0202401)+11 种基金the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA16010100,XDA16010603,XDA16020400,XDB29020000,XDB39000000,XDB39000000,XDB39030300)the China Association for Science and Technology(2021QNRC001)the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission(Z200022)the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai(21JC1406400)the Key Programs of the Jiangxi ProvinceChina(20192ACB70002)the“Shu Guang”Project supported by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and Shanghai Education Development Foundation(19SG18)the Shanghai Sailing Program(22YF1434300)the Research Project of Joint Laboratory of University of Science and Technology of China and Anhui Mental Health Center(2019LH03)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(WK2070210004)the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by China Association for Science and Technology(YESS20210002)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences(2022083)。
文摘Aging is characterized by a progressive deterioration of physiological integrity,leading to impaired functional ability and ultimately increased susceptibility to death.It is a major risk factor for chronic human diseases,including cardiovascular disease,diabetes,neurological degeneration,and cancer.Therefore,the growing emphasis on “healthy aging” raises a series of important questions in life and social sciences.In recent years,there has been unprecedented progress in aging research,particularly the discovery that the rate of aging is at least partly controlled by evolutionarily conserved genetic pathways and biological processes.In an attempt to bring full-fledged understanding to both the aging process and age-associated diseases,we review the descriptive,conceptual,and interventive aspects of the landscape of aging composed of a number of layers at the cellular,tissue,organ,organ system,and organismal levels.
文摘Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy(CADASIL)is a rare hereditary cerebrovascular disease caused by a NOTCH3 mutation.However,the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unidentified.Here,we generated non-integrative induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs)from fibroblasts of a CADASIL patient harboring a heterozygous NOTCH3 mutation(c.3226C>T,p.R1076C).Vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs)differentiated from CADASIL-specific iPSCs showed gene expression changes associated with disease phenotypes,including activation of the NOTCH and NF-kB signaling pathway,cytoskeleton disorganization,and excessive cell proliferation.In comparison,these abnormalities were not observed in vascular endothelial cells(VECs)derived from the patients iPSCs.Importantly,the abnormal upregulation of NF-kB target genes in CADASIL VSMCs was diminished by a NOTCH pathway inhibitor,providing a potential therapeutic strategy for CADASIL.Overall,using this iPSCbased disease model,our study identified clues for studying the pathogenic mechanisms of CADASIL and developing treatment strategies for this disease.
基金This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2017YFA0105804)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA16010000)+8 种基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFC2000100,2017YFA0103304,2017YFA0102802,2018YFA0107203)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81670897,81625009,91749202.81861168034,81921006,31671429,91949209,91749123,81671377,81822018,81870228,81922027,81701388,81601233)the Program of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission(Z191100001519005)Bejing Natural Science Foun-dation(Z190019)Bejing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning(PXM2018026283_000002)Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection(3500-1192012)the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KFZD-SW-221)K.C.Wong Education Foundation(GJTD-2019-06,GJTD-2019-08),Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS(2016093)the State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and the State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology.
文摘Age-associated changes in immune cells have been linked to an increased risk for infection.However,a global and detailed characterization of the changes that human circulating immune cells undergo with age is lacking.Here,we combined scRNA-seq,mass cytometry and sCATAC-seq to compare immune cell types in peripheral blood collected from young and old subjects and patients with COVID-19.We found that the immune cell landscape was reprogrammed with age and was characterized by T cell polarization from naive and memory cells to effector,cytotoxic,exhausted and reg-ulatory cells,along with increased late natural killer cells,age-associated B cells,inflammatory monocytes and age-associated dendritic cells.In addition,the expression of genes,which were implicated in coron-avirus susceptibility,was upregulated in a cell subtype-specific manner with age.Notably,COVID-19 promoted age-induced immune cell polarization and gene expression related to inflammation and cellular senes-cence.Therefore,these findings suggest that a dysreg-ulated immune system and increased gene expression associated with SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility may at least partially account for COVID-19 vulnerability in the elderly.
文摘Dear Editor,Aging is the leading risk factor for many chronic diseases,accounting for almost 60%of all deaths worldwide.How to achieve healthy aging,alleviate aging-related diseases,and extend healthspan has become a main topic of biomedical research(He et al.,2019).Geroprotective compounds,such as metformin and rapamycin,have been shown to improve both healthspan and lifespan in mice(Martin-Montalvo et al.,2013;Bitto et al.,2016),whereas nicotinamide partially improves healthspan in mice(Mitchell et al.,2018).
基金This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFA0107001)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA16010100)+5 种基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC2000100,2018YFA0107203,2017YFA0103304,2017 YFA0102802,2015CB964800,2014CB910503)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81625009,81330008,91749202, 91749123,31671429,81671377,81771515,31601109,31601158, 81701388,81422017,81601233,81471414,81870228,81822018, 81801399,31801010,81801370 and 81861168034)Program of Beijing Mun icipal Science and Technology Commission (Z151100003915072)Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJZDEWTZ-L05)Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning (PXM2018_026283_ 000002)Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection (117212) and the State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology.
文摘RAP1 is a well-known telomere-binding protein, but its functions in human stem cells have remained unclea匚 Here we generated RAP1 -deficient human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) by using CRISPR/Cas9 technique and obtained RAP1-deficient human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and neural stem cells (hNSCs) via directed differentiation. In both hMSCs and hNSCs, RAP1 not only negatively regulated telomere length but also acted as a transcriptional regulator of RELN by tuning the methylation status of its gene promoter. RAP1 deficiency enhanced self-renewal and delayed senescence in hMSCs, but not in hNSCs, suggesting complicated lineage-specific effects of RAP1 in adult stem cells.Altogether, these results demonstrate for the first time that RAP1 plays both telomeric and nontelomeric roles in regulating human stem cell homeostasis.
文摘Vascular cell functionality is critical to blood vessel homeostasis. Constitutive NF-κB activation in vascular cells results in chronic vascular inflammation, leading to various cardiovascular diseases. However, how NF-κB regulates human blood vessel homeostasis remains largely elusive. Here, using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing, we generated RelA knockout human embryonic stem cells （hESCs） and differentiated them into various vascular cell derivatives to study how NF- KS modulates human vascular cells under basal and inflammatory conditions. Multi-dimensional phenotypic assessments and transcriptomic analyses revealed that RelA deficiency affected vascular cells via modulatinginflammation, survival, vasculogenesis, cell differentia- tion and extracellular matrix organization in a cell type- specific manner under basal condition, and that RelA protected vascular cells against apoptosis and modu- lated vascular inflammatory response upon tumor necrosis factor a （TNFa） stimulation. Lastly, further evaluation of gene expression patterns in IKBo knockout vascular cells demonstrated that IKBa acted largely independent of RelA signaling. Taken together, our data reveal a protective role of NF-κB/ReiA in modulating human blood vessel homeostasis and map the human vascular transcriptomic landscapes for the discovery of novel therapeutic targets.
文摘The percentage of elderly people in the world is increasing at an unprecedented pace;so it is in China, which has the world s largest population and a high ratio of the seniors (aged 60 and above) to working-age adults. The growing elderly population is presenting a major social challenge. Accordingly, it is not only imperative as a national strategic demand but also promises great scientific values to understand the biological process of aging, explore the mystery of healthy aging, delay the aging process, and treat the age-related diseases. This Perspective summarizes past and present advances of the basic and translational aging research in China and offers perspectives on future endeavors in this area.
文摘Dear Editor, The retina is a light-sensitive highly-organized tissue,which is vulnerable to aging and age-related retinal diseases.Specifically,progressive retinal degeneration leads to visual function deterioration and vision impairment in the elderly(Lin et al.,2016).In diseases such as age-related macular degeneration(AMD),retinitis pigmentosa(RP)and diabetic retinopathy(DR),pathological process lacking effective treatments profoundly and negatively impact on the quality of life in the elderly(Lin et al.,2016;Chen et al.,2019).Thus,an in-depth molecular assessment of the mechanisms driv-ing retinal aging is of urgent scientific and medical importance.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFC2000100)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA16000000)+6 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81921006,92149301,92168201,82125011,91949209,92049304,92049116,32121001,82192863,82122024,82071588,81901432,32000510,81861168034,32000500,81901433,81870228,81922027)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2020YFA0804000,2020YFA0113400,2018YFA0107203,2020YFA0112200,2021YFF1201005,2021ZD0202401)the Program of the Beijing Natural Science Foundation(Z190019,JQ20031)K.C.Wong Education Foundation(GJTD-2019-06,GJTD-2019-08),Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST(YESS20200012,YESS20210002)The Pilot Project for Public Welfare Development and Reform of Beijing-affliated Medical Research Institutes(11000022T000000461062)CAS Project for Young Scientists in Basic Research(YSBR-012),Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS(E1CAZW0401,2022083)the Informatization Plan of Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS-WX2021SF-0301,CASWX2022SDC-XK14),the Tencent Foundation(2021-1045).
文摘Aging poses a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases,the leading cause of death in the aged population.However,the cell type-specific changes underlying cardiac aging are far from being clear.Here,we performed single-nucleus RNA-sequencing analysis of left ventricles from young and aged cynomolgus monkeys to define cell composition changes and transcriptomic alterations across different cell types associated with age.We found that aged cardiomyocytes underwent a dramatic loss in cell numbers and profound fluctuations in transcriptional profles.Via transcription regulatory network analysis,we identified FOxP1,a core transcription factor in organ development,as a key downregulated factor in aged cardiomyocytes,concomitant with the dysregulation of FoxP1 target genes associated with heart function and cardiac diseases.Consistently,the deficiency of FOxP1 led to hypertrophic and senescent phenotypes in human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.Altogether,our findings depict the celiular and molecular landscape of ventricular aging at the single-cell resolution,and identify drivers for primate cardiac aging and potential targets for intervention against cardiac aging and associated diseases.
文摘Dear Editor,Myocardial infarction(MI)is the irreversible cardiomyocyte death resulting from prolonged oxygen deprivation due to obstructed blood supply(ischemia),leading to contractile dysfunction and cardiac remodeling.In recent decades,stem cell transplantation has been extensively investigated for the repair of injured heart in animal studies and clinical trials(Kanelidis et al.,2017;Gyongyosi et al.,2018).
文摘Dear Editor,The human body operates optimally at a core temperature of 37 degrees Celsius.Homeostasis at this temperature is essential for cellular and physiological functions(Cheshire,2016).However,infectious diseases,inflammation,injury,neoplasia,and elevated climate temperature can cause a regulated rise in body core temperature,i.e.,fever(Pasi-khova et al,2017).Indeed,an acute or chronic increase in temperature leads to detrimental effects on vasculature by altering a number of indices of vascular structure and function(DuBose et al.,1998).
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFC2000100)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA16000000)+9 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(8190143281921006,82125011,92149301,92168201,91949209,92049304,92049116,32121001,82192863,82122024,82071588,81861168034,81922027,81870228,32100937,31900524,82201727)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2020YFA0804000,2020YFA0113400,2020YFA0112200,2018YFA0107203,the STI2030-Major Projects-2021ZD0202400,2021YFF1201005,2022YFA1103700,2022YFA1103800)CAS Project for Young Scientists in Basic Research(YSBR-076,YSBR-012)the Program of the Beijing Natural Science Foundation(Z190019,JQ20031)K.C.Wong Education Foundation(GJTD-2019-06,GJTD-2019-08)Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST(YESS20200012)Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS(EiCAZW0401)the Pilot Project for Public Welfare Development and Reform of Beijing-affliated Medical Research Institutes(11000022T000000461062)the Informatization Plan of Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS-WX2021SF-0301,CASWX2022SDC-XK14)CAS Special Research Assistant(SRA)Program,and the Tencent Foundation(2021-1045).
文摘Although the mTOR-4E-BP1 signaling pathway is implicated in aging and aging-related disorders,the role of 4E-BP1 in regulating human stem cell homeostasis remains largely unknown.Here,we report that the expression of 4E-BP1 decreases along with the senescence of human mesenchymal stem celis(hMSCs).Genetic inactivation of 4E-BP1 in hMSCs compromises mitochondrial respiration,increases mitochondrial reactive oxygen species(Ros)production,and accelerates cellular senescence.Mechanistically,the absence of 4E-BP1 destabilizes proteins in mitochondrial respiration complexes,especially several key subunits of complex III including UQCRC2.Ectopic expression of 4E-BP1 attenuates mitochondrial abnormalities and alleviates cellular senescence in 4E-BP1-deficient hMSCs as well as in physiologically aged hMSCs.These findings together demonstrate that 4E-BP1 functions as a geroprotector to mitigate human stem cell senescence and maintain mitochondrial homeostasis,particularly for the mitochondrial respiration complex Il,thus providing a new potential target to counteract human stem cell senescence.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFC2000500)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(91857101)+2 种基金the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDB29020000)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81922027,81870228,and 81921006)Beijing Natural Science Foundation(Q20031)and the State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology.
文摘Dear Editor,Circadian rhythms are the periodic turmover of biological behaviors and physiological functions of many organisms(Allada and Bass,2021).In mammals,circadian rhythms are maintained by the clock system,involving central clock in suprachiasmatic nucleus and peripheral clock in organs like intestine;and at cellular level a cell-autonomous transcriptional and translational feedback loop involving clock genes like BMAL1(brain and muscle ARNT-Like 1,also known as ARNTL),CLOCK(clock circadian regulator),PER1/2/3(period circadian regulator 1/2/3)and CRY1/2(cryptochrome circadian regulator 1/2)(Allada and Bass,2021).
基金This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2020YFA0804000)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA16010000)+8 种基金the Program of Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission(Z191100001519005)the National Key Research and Developme nt Program of China(2018YFC2000100,2020YFA0112201,2017YFA0103304,2017YFA0102802,2018YFA0107203,2020YFA0113400)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.81921006,81625009,91749202,81861168034,91949209,92049304,81822018,82071588,92049116,81922027,81870228,82125011,82122024,32100937)the Program of the Beijing Natural Science Foundation(Z190019,JQ20031)the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KFZD-SW-221)K.C.Wong Education Foundation(GJTD-2019-06,GJTD-2019-08)Beijing Hospitals Authority Youth Programme(QML20200802)Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS(2021078,E1CAZW0401)the State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology,the State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology,and the Milky Way Research Foundation(MWRF).
文摘Dear Editor,The interventions that slow aging or promote healthy aging may provide preventative measures for age-related diseases(Zhang et al.,2015).Therefore,it is crucial to identify drugs that target aging-related pathologies and improve health-span in geroscience research.Using model organisms such as C.elegans and rodents,several small molecules capable of alleviating the onset or progression of aging,including rapamycin,nicotinamide mononucleotide,and metformin,have been discovered(Partridge et al.,2020).However,the safety and efficacy of these chemicals still need in-depth evaluation before clinical applications(Partridge et al.,2020).As a result,it is necessary to identify additional compounds with geroprotective effects for human cells to counteract the general trend of populational aging.However,transforming a promising compound into an approved drug requires enormous resources.Alternatively,repurposing previously approved drugs for new clinical applications offers a more efficient and less costly path toward drug develop-ment.Therefore,testing U.S.Food and Drug Administration(FDA)-approved drugs for geroprotective effects may dis-covernew therapeutics that have already been stringently tested in humans for safety.
