Project description:Sustained exposure to a young systemic environment rejuvenates aged organisms and promotes cellular function. However, due to the intrinsic complexity of tissues it remains challenging to pinpoint niche-independent effects of circulating factors on specific cell populations. Here we describe a method for the encapsulation of human and mouse skeletal muscle progenitors in diffusible polyethersulfone hollow fiber capsules that can be used to profile systemic aging in vivo independent of heterogeneous short-range tissue interactions. We observed that circulating long-range signaling factors in the old systemic environment lead to an activation of Myc and E2F transcription factors, induce senescence and suppress myogenic differentiation. Importantly, in vitro profiling using young and old serum in 2D culture does not capture all pathways deregulated in encapsulated cells in aged mice. Thus, in vivo transcriptomic profiling using cell encapsulation allows for the characterization of effector pathways of systemic aging with unparalleled accuracy.
Project description:Sustained exposure to a young systemic environment rejuvenates aged tissues and promotes stem cell function. However, due to the intrinsic complexity of tissues it remains challenging to pinpoint direct effects of circulating factors on specific cell populations. Here we describe a method for the encapsulation of human stem cells in highly diffusible polyethersulfone hollow fiber capsules that can be used to profile systemic aging independent of physical cellular interactions in-vivo.
Project description:Sustained exposure to a young systemic environment rejuvenates aged organisms and promotes cellular function. However, due to the intrinsic complexity of tissues it remains challenging to pinpoint niche-independent effects of circulating factors on specific cell populations. Here, we describe a method for the encapsulation of human and mouse skeletal muscle progenitors in diffusible polyethersulfone hollow fiber capsules that can be used to profile systemic aging in vivo independent of heterogeneous short-range tissue interactions. We observed that circulating long-range signaling factors in the old systemic environment lead to an activation of Myc and E2F transcription factors, induce senescence, and suppress myogenic differentiation. Importantly, in vitro profiling using young and old serum in 2D culture does not capture all pathways deregulated in encapsulated cells in aged mice. Thus, in vivo transcriptomic profiling using cell encapsulation allows for the characterization of effector pathways of systemic aging with unparalleled accuracy.
Project description:Aging is characterized by degeneration of unique tissues. However, dissecting the interconnectedness of tissue aging remains a challenge. Here, we employ a muscle-specific DNA damage model in Drosophila to reveal secreted factors that influence systemic aging in distal tissues. Utilizing this model, we uncovered a cytokine, Diedel, that when secreted from muscle or adipose can attenuate age-related intestinal tissue degeneration by promoting proliferative homeostasis of stem cells. Diedel is both necessary and sufficient to limit tissue degeneration and extend lifespan. Secreted homologs of Diedel are also found in viruses, having been acquired from host genomes. Focusing on potential mechanistic overlap between cellular aging and viral-host cell interactions and, we found that Diedel is a functionally conserved inhibitor of apoptosis and can act as a systemic rheostat to modulate cell death during aging. These results highlight a key role for secreted antagonists of apoptosis in the systemic coordination of tissue aging.
Project description:Aging involves morphological and functional changes across different organs, but how these changes are linked among the different organs remains to be elucidated. Here, we uncover a central role of platelets in sys temic aging. In aged mice, the levels of platelet secreted pro inflammatory factors (PSPF) increased greatly in the serum and platelets, leading to a diffuse increase of platelet infiltration in brain, liver, lung, kidney, and aortic root. The RNA binding protein HuR/ELAVL1, a major regulator of R NA metabolism, promoted the production of PSPF in platelets. Platelet specific deletion of HuR reduced the expression of PSPF in platelets, alleviated platelet infiltration in brain, liver, lung, kidney, and aortic root, and delayed systemic aging. Our findings highlight a role of platelets in coordinating aging traits across organs.