Targeting the hypothalamus for modeling age-related DNA methylation and developing OXT-GnRH combinational therapy against Alzheimer's disease-like pathologies in male mouse model.

ABSTRACT: The hypothalamus plays an important role in aging, but it remains unclear regarding the underlying epigenetics and whether this hypothalamic basis can help address aging-related diseases. Here, by comparing mouse hypothalamus with two other limbic system components, we show that the hypothalamus is characterized by distinctively high-level DNA methylation during young age and by the distinct dynamics of DNA methylation and demethylation when approaching middle age. On the other hand, age-related DNA methylation in these limbic system components commonly and sensitively applies to genes in hypothalamic regulatory pathways, notably oxytocin (OXT) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pathways. Middle age is associated with transcriptional declines of genes which encode OXT, GnRH and sign

SUBMITTER: Usmani SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11528003 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature