Mixed
Aging is characterized by a conserved transcriptional signature across mammals involving the upregulation of inflammatory and immune response genes (e.g., APOD, CTSS) and the downregulation of mitochondrial and collagen-related genes.
This research identifies specific gene expression patterns (increased inflammation/immune activity, decreased mitochondrial/collagen function) that are consistent hallmarks of aging across species. While this paper does not prescribe an intervention, it highlights that aging involves active biological responses (like inflammation) rather than just passive wear-and-tear. Future interventions targeting these specific pathways (e.g., anti-inflammatories or mitochondrial support) may be more effective than generic approaches.
Our results reveal several common signatures of aging, including 56 genes consistently overexpressed with age... age-related gene expression changes most notably involve an overexpression of inflammation and immune response genes and of genes associated with the lysosome. An underexpression of collagen genes and of genes associated with energy metabolism, particularly mitochondrial genes... were also observed.
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of 27 datasets from mice, rats, and humans provides robust statistical power, though it is observational and correlational.
Source
Meta-analysis of age-related gene expression profiles identifies common signatures of aging
João Pedro de Magalhães et al. · Bioinformatics · 2009
DOI 10.1093/bioinformatics/btp073
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