Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Pawel Kordowitzki
Summary: Research has shown that the pool of oocytes in females starts to decline before birth, and as women age, characteristics such as chromosomal abnormalities, decreased mitochondrial function, and telomere shortening become more common. This may contribute to higher rates of miscarriage and chromosomal non-disjunction in older women who choose to delay pregnancy.
Article
Cell Biology
Lucia Chico-Sordo, Isabel Cordova-Oriz, Alba Maria Polonio, Lucia Sanchez S-Mellado, Marta Medrano, Juan Antonio Garcia-Velasco, Elisa Varela
Summary: Successful reproduction is crucial for both individuals and society, but the reproductive span does not progress in sync with lifespan. As reproductive organs age, hormonal levels decrease, impacting health and fertility. The effects of aging on fertility vary between women and men, affecting reproductive potential and gamete quality. The molecular pathways involved in reproductive aging and the possibility of halting or reversing these aging events are important areas of investigation.
MECHANISMS OF AGEING AND DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lucia Lopez-Gil, Amparo Pascual-Ahuir, Markus Proft
Summary: This scientific review highlights the central importance of genomic instability in the aging process and explores the cellular and molecular changes associated with aging, as well as the genetic and epigenetic alterations that contribute to genomic instability.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
C. Chaney, K. S. Wiley
Summary: This study analyzed the association between serum PFAS levels and measures of biological aging, and found a negative correlation between PFAS exposure and certain aging indicators, regardless of gender and reproductive stage.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiuying Jiang, Xiangning Xu, Bicheng Wang, Ke Song, Jiaqi Zhang, Ye Chen, Ying Tian, Jing Weng, Yuanjing Liang, Wei Ma
Summary: 2-Methoxyestradiol (2-ME2), a metabolite of 17 beta-estradiol, is being studied as an antitumor agent. This study found that while 2-ME2 levels remain stable in the ovaries of aging mice, it declines in the serum. Exposure to 2-ME2 affects the meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes, leading to abnormal spindle structure and chromosome alignment. The study suggests that the impairment of oocyte maturation caused by 2-ME2 exposure is due to mitochondrial imbalance, oxidative stress, and apoptosis.
CHEMICO-BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Gustavo Borges, Melanie Criqui, Lea Harrington
Summary: Telomere maintenance is crucial for the integrity of both normal and cancer cells. The instability of telomeres can lead to genome instability in cancer and aging, but cancer cells can partially overcome this instability by increasing telomerase expression.
MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anthony Lagnado, Jack Leslie, Marie-Helene Ruchaud-Sparagano, Stella Victorelli, Petra Hirsova, Mikolaj Ogrodnik, Amy L. Collins, Maria Grazia Vizioli, Leena Habiballa, Gabriele Saretzki, Shane A. Evans, Hanna Salmonowicz, Adam Hruby, Daniel Geh, Kevin D. Pavelko, David Dolan, Helen L. Reeves, Sushma Grellscheid, Colin H. Wilson, Sanjay Pandanaboyana, Madison Doolittle, Thomas von Zglinicki, Fiona Oakley, Suchira Gallage, Caroline L. Wilson, Jodie Birch, Bernadette Carroll, James Chapman, Mathias Heikenwalder, Nicola Neretti, Sundeep Khosla, Claudio Akio Masuda, Tamar Tchkonia, James L. Kirkland, Diana Jurk, Derek A. Mann, Joao F. Passos
Summary: The research shows that neutrophils cause oxidative damage to telomeres in non-immune cells, promoting cellular senescence. In aged liver, senescent cells recruit neutrophils, potentially leading to the spread of senescence.
Article
Cell Biology
Pawel Kordowitzki, Amin Haghani, Joseph A. Zoller, Caesar Z. Li, Ken Raj, Matthew L. Spangler, Steve Horvath
Summary: Cattle are an attractive animal model for studying fertility, and epigenetic clocks have been developed to accurately estimate the biological age of oocytes. These clocks have implications for understanding reproductive aging and potentially slowing the aging process.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Murong Xu, Waner Wu, Mingpeng Zhao, Jacqueline Pui Wah Chung, Tin Chiu Li, David Yiu Leung Chan
Summary: This review provides a comprehensive summary of the associations between gene alterations and morphological changes in embryos. By selecting relevant genes and reviewing literature and image databases, it helps understand the impact of gene alterations on embryo morphology and aids in the selection of important biomarkers in IVF practice.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY & CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Nikita Harish Zade, Ekta Khattar
Summary: POT1 is a telomere-binding protein that prevents DNA damage response at telomeres, thus protecting against genomic instability. It is also involved in maintaining telomere length by regulating telomerase-mediated elongation. Mutations in POT1 result in different telomere phenotypes, leading to cancer or telomeropathies.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Adam Sturm, Tibor Vellai
Summary: Women in high-income countries are giving birth at older ages, which has significant implications for the genetic stability of their offspring. Research suggests that the older the mother is at fertilization, the more intense the activity of transposable elements that cause insertional mutations in functional DNA regions involved in the formation of the zygote.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Federica De Majo, Leonie Martens, Jana-Charlotte Hegenbarth, Frank Ruehle, Magda R. Hamczyk, Rosa M. Nevado, Vicente Andres, Erika Hilbold, Christian Baer, Thomas Thum, Martine de Boer, Dirk J. Duncker, Blanche Schroen, Anne-Sophie Armand, Monika Stoll, Leon J. De Windt
Summary: The study found no enrichment of variants in the naturally aging mouse hearts, but significant accumulation of variants in hearts with cardiomyocyte-specific deficient DNA repair machinery, reduced mitochondrial antioxidant capacity, and other organs. These findings suggest that genomic instability may not significantly contribute to the natural aging of mouse hearts.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Reproductive Biology
Betul Tire, Saffet Ozturk
Summary: Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences that protect the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and stability of the genome. Shortening of telomeres can occur due to factors such as aging, DNA replication, oxidative stress, and genotoxic agents. However, telomeres can be lengthened by telomerase and alternative lengthening mechanisms. If telomeres become critically short, it can lead to genomic instability and abnormalities in cell division. The effects of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), such as ovarian stimulation, culture conditions, and cryopreservation procedures, on telomere length and telomerase activity in oocytes and embryos have been extensively studied. These parameters could potentially serve as biomarkers for assessing the quality of oocytes and embryos in ART centers.
JOURNAL OF OVARIAN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Karen D. Lincoln, Ann W. Nguyen
Summary: The study identified three distinct risk types among African Americans, with the high-risk type characterized by chronic health conditions, shorter STL, strained social relationships, and high psychosocial stress. African Americans were also less likely to be assigned to the health risk type, which was characterized by chronic health conditions, shorter STL, optimal social relationships, and low psychosocial stress. The biopsychosocial risk typology provided valuable insights into factors influencing accelerated aging in African Americans.
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Yi-ran Zhang, Tai-lang Yin, Li-quan Zhou
Summary: CRISPR/Cas9, a highly versatile genome-editing tool, has been increasingly used in the reproduction of mammals. This review explores its principles and wide-ranging applications in oocyte and early embryo development, as well as its limitations and ethical concerns. Despite challenges, CRISPR/Cas9 technology undeniably represents a formidable tool for genome and epigenome manipulation within oocytes and early embryos.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)