Hypothalamic Sirt1 protects terminal Schwann cells and neuromuscular junctions from age-related morphological changes.

ABSTRACT: Neuromuscular decline occurs with aging. The neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the interface between motor nerve and muscle, also undergoes age-related changes. Aging effects on the NMJ components-motor nerve terminal, acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), and nonmyelinating terminal Schwann cells (tSCs)-have not been comprehensively evaluated. Sirtuins delay mammalian aging and increase longevity. Increased hypothalamic Sirt1 expression results in more youthful physiology, but the relationship between NMJ morphology and hypothalamic Sirt1 was previously unknown. In wild-type mice, all NMJ components showed age-associated morphological changes with ~80% of NMJs displaying abnormalities by 17 months of age. Aged mice with brain-specific Sirt1 overexpression (BRASTO) had more youthful NMJ morphologic

SUBMITTER: Snyder-Warwick AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6052483 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature