The new aging atlas provides a detailed look at how individual cells and tissues in worms age, and how various strategies for extending lifespan could potentially halt the aging process.
Aging affects all the tissues in our body, including muscles and skin. Understanding how individual tissues and cells age could assist researchers in comprehending the aging process and in creating treatments to combat aging.
< rnrn
Research on aging in roundworms is popular due to their short lifespans, simple body plans, and genetic similarity to humans. A team of researchers from HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus, Baylor College of Medicine, and Creighton University School of Medicine examined aging at the tissue and cell level by analyzing gene expression in each cell of adult roundworms at different stages of aging. They also studied long-lived strains of worms.
The researchers created a comprehensive transcriptomic cell atlas of aging in roundworms, which is available for open access. This atlas allows scientists to examine the genes that are activated or deactivated during the aging process in roundworms.
The scientists studied gene expression in all of the worm’s cells simultaneously and how it changes over time, both for normal worms and worms that live longer than usual.
Using the atlas, the team created specific “aging clocks” for different tissues, models that helped them uncover the unique aging characteristics of each tissue. These clocks were then used to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that slow down aging in worms with longer lifespans.
In addition, the researchers constructed the first map of germ cell fate trajectory, which tracks the development of reproductive cells over time. This allowed the team to identify changes in cell composition and gene expression as the worms age.The study examined various phases of reproductive cells. The atlas provided the team with a comprehensive look at polyadenylation, an important process for gene regulation and protein diversity, throughout the entire lifecycle of the worm. The researchers identified a number of changes related to age in different cell types, indicating a previously unrecognized connection between this process and aging. These new discoveries not only offer valuable insights into the molecular aspects of aging, but the freely accessible atlas and user-friendly data portal also provide a valuable resource for other researchers.
