Project description:Lifespan varies both within and across species, but the general principles of its control are not understood. To identify transcriptomic signatures of mammalian longevity, we sequenced multiple organs of young adult mammals corresponding to 8 different species, including Canadian beaver, long-tailed macaque, greater tube-nosed bat, baboon, white-footed mouse, sugar glider, Siberian chipmunk and American black bear. We aggregated this dataset with publicly available pan-mammalian data and performed multi-tissue gene expression analyses across 41 mammalian species. This allowed us to identifiy signatures of species longevity and assess their relationship with biomarkers of aging and lifespan-extending interventions. This dataset complements RNAseq profiles of tissues from 23 mammalian species stored at GSE43013.
Project description:Single-cell transcriptomics of mammalian prion diseases identifies dynamic gene signatures shared between species [human_bulkRNAseq]
Project description:Mammals differ more than hundred fold in maximum lifespan, which can be altered in either direction during evolution, but the molecular basis for natural changes in longevity is not understood. Divergent evolution of mammals also led to extensive changes in gene expression within and between lineages. To understand the relationship between lifespan and variation in gene expression, we carried out RNA-seq-based gene expression analyses of liver, kidney and brain of 33 diverse species of mammals. Our analysis uncovered parallel evolution of gene expression and lifespan, as well as the associated life history traits, and identified the processes and pathways involved. These findings provide direct insights into how Nature reversibly adjusts lifespan and other traits during adaptive radiation of lineages. RNA-seq gene expression profiling in normal liver, kidney and brain of 33 mammalian species.
Project description:Biomarkers of familial longevity may represent mechanisms underlying healthy aging. To identify gene expression profiles marking human familial longevity, an explorative genome-wide expression study was performed among 50 families from the Leiden Longevity Study who have a life-long survival advantage of 30%. Gene expression profiles were compared between 50 nonagenarians (mean age 93.4 years) and 50 controls (mean age 61.9 years) to investigate differential gene expression that may arise as a function of both chronological age and familial longevity. Differential expression was observed for 2953 probes (FDR≤0.05) and for 109 GO terms, which corresponded well with previously reported findings on gene expression changes associated with chronological age, such as ‘immune response’, ‘signal transduction’ and ‘regulation of gene transcription’. To explore which of the 2953 chronological age-related probes also marked familial longevity, we compared gene expression profiles of 50 offspring of the nonagenarians (mean age 60.8 years) with the same 50 controls. Since the average gene expression levels did not differ between offspring and controls, we tested for differential expression as a function of age (age range 43-79 years). We identified 360 probes (FDR≤0.1) and the ‘Rho protein signal transduction’ GO biological process (FWER = 0.079) whose expression signatures marked familial longevity already at middle-age. Of these probes, 236 were annotated and represent 244 known genes, including WRN and MYC. Interestingly, 51 genes are involved in the regulation of gene expression. Further investigation into the genes involved may be important for unraveling mechanisms underlying longevity.
Project description:•Cutin and suberin are lipid polyesters deposited in specific apoplastic compartments. Their fundamental roles in plant biology include controlling the movement of gases, water and solutes, and conferring pathogen resistance. Both cutin and suberin have been shown to be present in the Arabidopsis seed coat where they regulate seed dormancy and longevity. •In this study, we use accelerated and natural aging seed assays, glutathione redox potential measures, optical and transmission electron microscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to demonstrate that increasing the accumulation of lipid polyesters in the seed coat is the mechanism by which the AtHB25 transcription factor regulates seed permeability and longevity. •Chromatin immunoprecipitation during seed maturation revealed that the lipid polyester biosynthetic gene LACS2 (long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 2) is a direct AtHB25 binding target. Gene transfer of this transcription factor to wheat and tomato demonstrates the importance of apoplastic lipid polyesters for the maintenance of seed viability. •Our work establishes AtHB25 as a trans-species regulator of seed longevity and has identified the deposition of apoplastic lipid barriers as a key parameter to improve seed longevity in multiple plant species.
Project description:Mammalian hibernators display phenotypes similar to physiological conditions in non-hibernating species under conditions of calorie restriction and fasting, hypoxia, hypothermia, ischemia-reperfusion, and sleep. However, whether or how similarities are also reflected on molecular and genetic levels is unclear. We identified molecular signatures of torpor and arousal in hibernation using a new custom-designed cDNA microarray for the arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii,) and compared them to molecular signatures of selected phenotypes in mouse. Our results show that differential gene expression related to metabolism during torpor is closely related to that during calorie restriction and hypoxia. PPARM-NM-1 is crucial for metabolic remodeling in hibernation. Genes related to the sleep-wake cycle and temperature response genes induced by hypothermia follow the same expression changes as in torpor-arousal cycle. Increased fatty acid metabolism might contribute to the protection against ischemia-reperfusion injury during hibernation. Further, by comparing with thousands of pharmacological signatures, we identified drugs that may induce similar expression patterns in human cell lines as during hibernation. Arctic ground squirrels sampled during winter hibernation were compared with the animals sampled during summer. Liver was hybridized on a custom 9,600 probes nylon membrane microarray platform. Four squirrels in early torpor, five in late torpor, four in early arousal, four in late arousal, and seven in summer active were studied in experiments.
Project description:Across eukaryotic species, mild mitochondrial stress can have beneficial effects on the lifespan of organisms. Mitochondrial dysfunction activates an unfolded protein response (UPRmt), a stress signaling mechanism designed to ensure mitochondrial homeostasis. Perturbation of mitochondria during larval development in C. elegans not only delays aging but also maintains UPRmt signaling, suggesting an epigenetic mechanism that modulates both longevity and mitochondrial proteostasis throughout life. Here we identify the conserved histone lysine demethylases jmjd-1.2/PHF8 and jmjd-3.1/JMJD3 as positive regulators of lifespan in response to mitochondrial dysfunction across species. Reduction-of-function of the demethylases potently suppresses longevity and UPRmt induction while gain-of-function is sufficient to extend lifespan in an UPRmt-dependent manner. A systems genetics approach in the BXD mouse reference population further indicated conserved roles of the mammalian orthologs in longevity and UPRmt signaling. These findings illustrate an evolutionary conserved epigenetic mechanism that determines the rate of aging downstream of mitochondrial perturbations.