Article
Genetics & Heredity
Angelica Dominguez-de-Barros, Ines Sifaoui, Zuzanna Borecka, Roberto Dorta-Guerra, Jacob Lorenzo-Morales, Rafael Castro-Fuentes, Elizabeth Cordoba-Lanus
Summary: This study found that telomeres shorten with age in Psittacidae species and that short-lived birds accumulate more oxidative stress products but have lower antioxidant capacity compared to long-lived birds. Breeding is also related to telomere shortening, with short-lived birds experiencing increased oxidative damage during breeding while long-lived birds are able to counteract this damage with increased antioxidant capacity.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
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
Tenghui Yu, Jesse Slone, Wensheng Liu, Ryan Barnes, Patricia L. Opresko, Landon Wark, Sabine Mai, Steve Horvath, Taosheng Huang
Summary: Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a crucial role in the aging process, and the accumulation of mutations in the mitochondrial genome is believed to contribute to this dysfunction. By studying a mouse model with error-prone mitochondrial DNA polymerase, researchers found that high levels of mitochondrial DNA mutations can lead to oxidative damage, compromised DNA integrity, and accelerated aging. These findings suggest that mitochondria play a central role in aging and may guide future research on potential therapeutics to mitigate the aging process.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Jack Feehan, Nicholas Tripodi, Vasso Apostolopoulos
Summary: Cellular senescence is a critical part of human anti-tumor defence, but the accumulation of senescent cells with age can lead to various pathologies. Immunosenescence, the senescent change in immune cells, has a wide range of physiological effects and is partially responsible for many diseases associated with aging. Understanding the effects and mechanisms of immunosenescence can improve disease outcomes and prevention in older adults, and lead to new treatments for common illnesses.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Samia Bouamama, Amina Bouamama
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the anti-aging and stimulating effects of quercetin on immune cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in vitro. The results showed that quercetin could enhance the proliferation potency of aged PBMCs, restore immune response and antioxidant defenses, and reduce immunosenescence and lipo-oxidative stress in elderly individuals.
JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Shital Wakale, Xiaoxin Wu, Yogita Sonar, Antonia Sun, Xiwei Fan, Ross Crawford, Indira Prasadam
Summary: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease that significantly impairs the physical function of the elderly population. This review focuses on the age-related changes in chondrocytes and their impact on OA development, including senescence, mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetic modifications, and decreased growth factor response. These changes also extend to the matrix, subchondral bone, and synovium. Understanding these alterations provides potential therapeutic approaches for OA treatment.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Boying Zhao, Jiang Yu, Yuan Luo, Ming Xie, Can Qu, Qiong Shi, Xiaowen Wang, Xingji Zhao, Lingwen Kong, Yu Zhao, Yongzheng Guo
Summary: S100A9 plays a crucial role in the inflammatory response and contributes to aging-related pathologies and endothelial dysfunction. The deficiency of S100A9 alleviates vascular senescence, improves insulin resistance, reduces oxidative stress and inflammation in aged mice. The study suggests that targeting the S100A9/TLR4 signaling pathway may be a potential therapeutic strategy to prevent age-related cardiovascular diseases.
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
Neurosciences
Rezwana Ahmed, Yasukazu Nakahata, Kazuyuki Shinohara, Yasumasa Bessho
Summary: Cellular senescence, whether replicative or stress-induced premature, triggers altered circadian clock properties, including prolonged period and delayed phases. Oxidative stress induces changes in the circadian clock of senescent cells, intensifying over time. This study confirms that cellular senescence affects circadian clock properties, regardless of the type of senescence.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
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
Serena Marcozzi, Maria Elisa Giuliani, Giovanni Lai, Robertina Giacconi, Francesco Piacenza, Giorgia Bigossi, Marco Malavolta
Summary: This perspective review explores the mechanisms and implications of senescent cell spreading on frailty, as well as its therapeutic development. The focus is on emerging age-related biological factors, such as microbiome and virome alterations, and their significant contribution to the accumulation rate of senescent cells. These factors particularly affect the musculoskeletal system and cerebral functions, two key domains of frailty. Understanding these mechanisms can lead to the development of tailored interventions for diverse patients.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Wenqian Zhang, Yuan Xiong, Ranyang Tao, Adriana C. Panayi, Bobin Mi, Guohui Liu
Summary: This review outlines the connection between cell senescence and the clock gene BMAL1, highlighting the potential therapeutic target that regulating the cell senescence process may offer in handling aging-associated diseases.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cristina Mas-Bargues, Consuelo Borras, Jose Vina
Summary: Cellular senescence is related to the inability of cells to adapt to stress conditions, a specific level of senescence can promote development, remodeling and healing, while chronicity of senescence can result from constant stresses and a weakening immune system. Centenarians overexpress Bcl-xL, which helps them avoid the deleterious effects of accumulated senescent cells and maintain a fully functional immune system. There is a paradox in the fact that Bcl-xL inhibitors have been shown to protect from aging in animal models.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Emma Naomi James, Virag Sagi-Kiss, Mark Bennett, Maria Elzbieta Mycielska, Lee Peng Karen-Ng, Terry Roberts, Sheila Matta, Inderjeet Dokal, Jacob Guy Bundy, Eric Kenneth Parkinson
Summary: The study found that there is a connection between plasma metabolite signatures and aging-related diseases, in particular with DKC1-related diseases and telomere dysfunction. However, other TCA metabolites, lactate, and pyruvate clearly distinguish DKC1 patients from normal individuals. These findings have important implications for early diagnosis of aging and the development of anti-aging therapeutics.
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emilio Sosa-Diaz, Estefani Yaquelin Hernandez-Cruz, Jose Pedraza-Chaverri
Summary: Vitamin D is considered essential for human health and plays a crucial role in delaying cellular senescence and attenuating oxidative stress, making it a promising candidate for preventing age-related diseases. However, further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind its effects.
FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Michela Busana, Dylan Z. Childs, Terrence A. Burke, Jan Komdeur, David S. Richardson, Hannah L. Dugdale
Summary: The social environment can impact individual fitness and population dynamics, especially in species with facultative cooperative breeding. In such species, helping behavior can benefit dominants by increasing reproductive rates and reducing mortality. Our study on Seychelles warblers found that stochastic variation in dominants' reproductive rates influences population dynamics, helping behavior promotes population persistence, and there are only early-life differences in direct fitness between helpers and non-helpers.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Marta Precioso, Mercedes Molina-Morales, Deborah A. Dawson, Terry A. Burke, Juan G. Martinez
Summary: This study evaluated the long-term effects of ethanol storage on telomere length measurements, finding a pattern of decreasing loss of telomere sequence with storage time that stops after approximately 4 years. This suggests that telomeres may degrade in blood samples stored in ethanol, highlighting the importance of evaluating the long-term effects of storage on telomere measurements.
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Mirjam J. Borger, David S. Richardson, Hannah Dugdale, Terry Burke, Jan Komdeur
Summary: Species are facing challenges from rapidly changing environments, such as increased frequency of extreme weather events. While natural selection acts slowly, organisms may use mechanisms like cooperative breeding to cope with rapid change. However, our study on the Seychelles warbler found that low rainfall was associated with reduced reproductive output, but cooperative breeding did not seem to buffer against harsh environments. This highlights the importance of considering the interaction between environment and life histories when studying species survival.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Sergio Nolazco, Kaspar Delhey, Marie Fan, Michelle L. Hall, Sjouke A. Kingma, Michael J. Roast, Niki Teunissen, Anne Peters
Summary: Female decorations are often less elaborate than males, and it is unclear how this affects their function. We investigated the condition dependence and fitness associations of plumage patches in female purple-crowned fairy-wrens, some ornamental and some cryptic. Unlike previous studies in males, we found no evidence of fitness benefits associated with female ornaments. Our study suggests that female ornaments may be less informative than male ornaments.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Claudia A. Martin, Eleanor C. Sheppard, Juan Carlos Illera, Alexander Suh, Krystyna Nadachowska-Brzyska, Lewis G. Spurgin, David S. Richardson
Summary: Genomes contain evidence of demographic history and evolutionary forces that shape populations and drive speciation. The study investigated the diversity of the Berthelot's pipit populations and found that the most significant reduction in diversity occurred between the mainland sister species and Berthelot's pipit. The study also revealed the impact of colonization events and bottleneck effects on the populations. Rating: 8/10
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Mirjam J. Borger, Jan Komdeur, David S. Richardson, Franz J. Weissing
Summary: Quantifying fitness is crucial for understanding adaptive evolution. Reproductive values are valuable for comparing the fitness of different categories of individuals, such as males and females. Estimating reproductive values traditionally requires modeling and complex calculations, but a pedigree-based method has gained popularity recently. However, our simulations show that this method is not accurate or precise in estimating reproductive values.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Walter D. Koenig, Sahas Barve, Joseph Haydock, Hannah L. Dugdale, Madan K. Oli, Eric L. Walters
Summary: Although 50 years have passed, Hamilton's theory of kin selection still holds true, showing that co-breeding, compared to solitary breeding, can increase the indirect fitness effect, especially for males. However, for females, the presence of age-weighted fitness will influence the effectiveness of co-breeding.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biology
Euan A. A. Young, Ellie Chesterton, Virpi Lummaa, Erik Postma, Hannah L. L. Dugdale
Summary: A study found that an individual's reproductive success can not only predict its genetic contributions to the next generation, but also has value in predicting genetic contributions over longer periods. The study also revealed that reproductive success is a better predictor of individual genetic contributions than other fitness proxies and lifespan.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Walter D. Koenig, Joseph Haydock, Hannah L. Dugdale, Eric L. Walters
Summary: This study examines the differences in life history and fitness consequences of inheriting or dispersing to attain breeder status in acorn woodpeckers. The results show that there are no statistical differences in direct or kin-selected fitness benefits between inheritors and dispersers, despite significant differences in life history. However, ecological constraints to dispersal and kin-selected fitness benefits as a helper likely play larger roles in driving the acorn woodpecker's social system.
Article
Ecology
Michael D. Pointer, Lewis G. Spurgin, Matthew J. G. Gage, Mark McMullan, David S. Richardson
Summary: This study investigates the genetic architecture of dispersal behavior in Tribolium castaneum, a post-harvest pest. The researchers demonstrate rapid evolution of dispersal behavior and find no evidence of sex-biases in the trait. The results suggest an oligogenic architecture underlying dispersal in T. castaneum, which has implications for pest management and understanding the evolution of dispersal in beetles.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marianthi Tangili, Annabel J. Slettenhaar, Joanna Sudyka, Hannah L. Dugdale, Ido Pen, Per J. Palsboll, Simon Verhulst
Summary: Inferring the age of individuals is crucial for population ecology and understanding ageing. Epigenetic clocks based on DNA methylation show strong correlation with chronological age in humans. Recently, more epigenetic clocks have been developed in non-model animals. The performance of these clocks is influenced by experimental protocols, with MAD being a better indicator of accuracy.
Article
Biology
Kiran G. L. Lee, Adele Mennerat, Dieter Lukas, Hannah L. Dugdale, Antica Culina
Summary: Using research productivity measures for academic performance assessment disadvantages women due to gender roles and unconscious biases in both home and academia. The impact of COVID-19 on research productivity has been studied through surveys and article counts. This study combines 55 research studies and finds that the gender gap in research productivity increased during the pandemic, with the largest changes observed in social sciences and medicine.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Thomas J. Brown, Max Hellicar, Wilna Accouche, Jildou van der Woude, Hannah L. Dugdale, Jan Komdeur, David S. Richardson
Summary: Invasive predators pose a significant threat to native populations, and the impact of invasive predatory birds has often been overlooked. This study highlights the sex-specific impact of the invasive common myna on a reintroduced population of Seychelles warblers. The common mynas caused severe injuries to female warblers, leading to a male-biased population sex-ratio and slower population growth. However, after the eradication of common mynas, the sex-ratio balanced out and population growth accelerated. This research emphasizes the importance of assessing the threat posed by all invasive taxa and the need for extended monitoring to identify and solve problems post-translocation.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
