Project description:The federal drug administration (FDA)-approved compound rapamycin was the first pharmacological agent shown to extend maximal lifespan in both genders in a mammalian species. A major question then is whether the drug slows mammalian aging or if it has isolated effects on longevity by suppressing cancers, the main cause of death in many mouse strains. Here, we review what is currently known about the effects that pharmacological or genetic mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition have on mammalian aging and longevity. Currently available evidence seems to best fit a model, wherein rapamycin extends lifespan by suppressing cancers. In addition the drug has symptomatic effects on some aging traits, such as age-related cognitive impairments.
Project description:Rapamycin increases lifespan in mice, but whether this represents merely inhibition of lethal neoplastic diseases, or an overall slowing in multiple aspects of aging is currently unclear. We report here that many forms of age-dependent change, including alterations in heart, liver, adrenal glands, endometrium, and tendon, as well as age-dependent decline in spontaneous activity, occur more slowly in rapamycin-treated mice, suggesting strongly that rapamycin retards multiple aspects of aging in mice, in addition to any beneficial effects it may have on neoplastic disease. We also note, however, that mice treated with rapamycin starting at 9 months of age have significantly higher incidence of testicular degeneration and cataracts; harmful effects of this kind will guide further studies on timing, dosage, and tissue-specific actions of rapamycin relevant to the development of clinically useful inhibitors of TOR action.
Project description:To investigate the effects of rapamycin on cardiac differentiation, murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) were induced into cardiomyocytes by 10-4 M ascorbic acid (AA), 20 nM rapamycin alone or 0.01% solvent DMSO. We found that rapamycin alone was insufficient to initiate cardiomyogenesis. Then, the ESCs were treated with AA and rapamycin (20 nM) or AA and DMSO (0.01%) as a control. Compared with control, mouse ESCs (mESCs) treated with rapamycin (20 nM) and AA yielded a significantly higher percentage of cardiomyocytes, as confirmed by the percentage of beating embryonic bodies (EBs), the immunofluorescence and FACS analysis. Rapamycin significantly increased the expression of a panel of cardiac markers including Gata4, α-Mhc, β-Mhc, and Tnnt2. Additionally, rapamycin enhanced the expression of mesodermal and cardiac transcription factors such as Mesp1, Brachyury T, Eomes, Isl1, Gata4, Nkx2.5, Tbx5, and Mef2c. Mechanistic studies showed that rapamycin inhibits Wnt/β-catenin and Notch signaling but promotes the expression of fibroblast growth factor (Fgf8), Fgf10, and Nodal at early stage, and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (Bmp 2) at later stages. Sequential treatment of rapamycin showed that rapamycin promotes cardiac differentiation at the early and later stages. Interestingly, another mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor Ku0063794 (1 µM) had similar effects on cardiomyogenesis. In conclusion, our results highlight a practical approach to generate cardiomyocytes from mESCs by rapamycin.
Project description:Stem cells are imbued with unique qualities. They have the capacity to propagate themselves through symmetric divisions and to divide asymmetrically to engender new cells that can progress to differentiate into tissue-specific, terminal cell types. Armed with these qualities, stem cells in adult tissues are tasked with replacing decaying cells and regenerating tissue after injury to maintain optimal tissue function. With increasing age, stem cell functional abilities decline, resulting in reduced organ function and delays in tissue repair. Here, we review the effect of aging in five well-studied adult murine stem cell populations and explore age-related declines in stem cell function and their consequences for stem cell self-renewal, tissue homeostasis, and regeneration. Finally, we examine transcriptional changes that have been documented in aged stem cell populations and discuss new questions and future directions that this collection of data has uncovered.
Project description:The adult central nervous system (CNS) contains resident stem cells within specific niches that maintain a self-renewal and proliferative capacity to generate new neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes throughout adulthood. Physiological aging is associated with a progressive loss of function and a decline in the self-renewal and regenerative capacities of CNS stem cells. Also, the biggest risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases is age, and current in vivo and in vitro models of neurodegenerative diseases rarely consider this. Therefore, combining both aging research and appropriate interrogation of animal disease models towards the understanding of the disease and age-related stem cell failure is imperative to the discovery of new therapies. This review article will highlight the main intrinsic and extrinsic regulators of neural stem cell (NSC) aging and discuss how these factors impact normal homeostatic functions within the adult brain. We will consider established in vivo animal and in vitro human disease model systems, and then discuss the current and future trajectories of novel senotherapeutics that target aging NSCs to ameliorate brain disease.
Project description:Pluripotent stem cells have the remarkable self-renewal ability and are capable of differentiating into multiple diverse cells. There is increasing evidence that the aging process can have adverse effects on stem cells. As stem cells age, their renewal ability deteriorates and their ability to differentiate into the various cell types is altered. Accordingly, it is suggested aging-induced deterioration of stem cell functions may play a key role in the pathophysiology of the various aging-associated disorders. Understanding the role of the aging process in deterioration of stem cell function is crucial, not only in understanding the pathophysiology of aging-associated disorders, but also in future development of novel effective stem cell-based therapies to treat aging-associated diseases. This review article first focuses on the basis of the various aging disease-related stem cell dysfunction. It then addresses the several concepts on the potential mechanism that causes aging-related stem cell dysfunction. It also briefly discusses the current potential therapies under development for aging-associated stem cell defects.
Project description:Periodontal disease is an age-associated disorder clinically defined by periodontal bone loss, inflammation of the specialized tissues that surround and support the tooth, and microbiome dysbiosis. Currently, there is no therapy for reversing periodontal disease, and treatment is generally restricted to preventive measures or tooth extraction. The FDA-approved drug rapamycin slows aging and extends lifespan in multiple organisms, including mice. Here, we demonstrate that short-term treatment with rapamycin rejuvenates the aged oral cavity of elderly mice, including regeneration of periodontal bone, attenuation of gingival and periodontal bone inflammation, and revertive shift of the oral microbiome toward a more youthful composition. This provides a geroscience strategy to potentially rejuvenate oral health and reverse periodontal disease in the elderly.
Project description:Balancing quiescence with proliferation is of paramount importance for adult stem cells in order to avoid hyperproliferation and cell depletion. In some models, stem cell exhaustion may be reversed with the drug rapamycin, which was shown can suppress cellular senescencein vitro and extend lifespan in animals. We hypothesized that rapamycin increases the expression of oxidative stress response genes in adult stem cells, and that these gene activities diminish with age. To test our hypothesis, we exposed mice to rapamycin and then examined the transcriptome of their spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Gene expression microarray analysis revealed that numerous oxidative stress response genes were upregulated upon rapamycin treatment, including superoxide dismutase 1, glutathione reductase, and delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase. When we examined the expression of these genes in 55-week-old wild type SSCs, their levels were significantly reduced compared to 3-week-old SSCs, suggesting that their downregulation is coincident with the aging process in adult stem cells. We conclude that rapamycin-induced stimulation of oxidative stress response genes may promote cellular longevity in SSCs, while a decline in gene expression in aged stem cells could reflect the SSCs' diminished potential to alleviate oxidative stress, a hallmark of aging.
Project description:The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that functions via its discrete binding partners to form two multiprotein complexes, mTOR complex 1 and 2 (mTORC1 and mTORC2). Rapamycin-sensitive mTORC1, which regulates protein synthesis and cell growth, is tightly controlled by PI3K/Akt and is nutrient-/growth factor-sensitive. In the brain, mTORC1 is also sensitive to neurotransmitter signaling. mTORC2, which is modulated by growth factor signaling, is associated with ribosomes and is insensitive to rapamycin. mTOR regulates stem cell and cancer stem cell characteristics. Aberrant Akt/mTOR activation is involved in multistep tumorigenesis in a variety of cancers, thereby suggesting that the inhibition of mTOR may have therapeutic potential. Rapamycin and its analogues, known as rapalogues, suppress mTOR activity through an allosteric mechanism that only suppresses mTORC1, albeit incompletely. ATP-catalytic binding site inhibitors are designed to inhibit both complexes. This review describes the regulation of mTOR and the targeting of its complexes in the treatment of cancers, such as glioblastoma, and their stem cells.
Project description:Hair production is fueled by stem cells (SCs), which transition between cyclical bouts of rest and activity. Here, we explore why hair growth wanes with age. We show that aged hair follicle SCs (HFSCs) in mice exhibit enhanced resting and abbreviated growth phases and are delayed in response to tissue-regenerating cues. Aged HFSCs are poor at initiating proliferation and show diminished self-renewing capacity upon extensive use. Only modestly restored by parabiosis, these features are rooted in elevated cell-intrinsic sensitivity and local elevation in bone morphogenic protein (BMP) signaling. Transcriptional profiling presents differences consistent with defects in aged HFSC activation. Notably, BMP-/calcium-regulated, nuclear factor of activated T-cell c1 (NFATc1) in HFSCs becomes recalcitrant to its normal down-regulating cues, and NFATc1 ChIP-sequencing analyses reveal a marked enrichment of NFATc1 target genes within the age-related signature. Moreover, aged HFSCs display more youthful levels of hair regeneration when BMP and/or NFATc1 are inhibited. These results provide unique insights into how skin SCs age.