Project description:The hypothesis of the present study is that metabolic phenotyping of blood plasma allows to (i) discriminate between colorectal cancer patients and control subjects and (ii) identify new biomarkers for colorectal cancer. In order to test this hypothesis, the investigators will apply proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy to perform metabolic phenotyping of blood plasma in 50 colorectal cancer patients and 50 control subjects. Multivariate statistics will be performed to assess the discriminative power of the applied methodology in distinguishing between both groups and to identify metabolites with potential as biomarkers for colorectal cancer.
Project description:Mammals display wide range of variation in their lifespan. Investigating the molecular networks that distinguish long- from short-lived species has proven useful to identify determinants of longevity. Here, we compared the liver of long-lived naked mole-rats (NMRs) and the phylogenetically closely related, shorter-lived, guinea pigs using an integrated omic approach. We found that NMRs livers display a unique expression pattern of mitochondrial proteins that result in distinct metabolic features of their mitochondria. For instance, we observed a generally reduced respiration rate associated with lower protein levels of respiratory chain components, particularly complex I, and increased capacity to utilize fatty acids. Interestingly, we show that the same molecular networks are affected during aging in both NMR and humans, supporting a direct link to the extraordinary longevity of both species. Finally, we identified a novel longevity pathway and validated it experimentally in the nematode C. elegans.