Genes and Pathway Regulating Longevity in Model Organisms

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Genomics and Genetic Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2024) | Viewed by 1139

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Stebicef Department, Universita di Palermo, University Campus building 16, 90128, Palermo, Italy
Interests: nutrition; aging; longevity; signal transduction pathways; cancer; molecular nutrition
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Dear Colleagues,

Is aging avoidable? Can life be disentangled from aging and aging-related degenerative diseases? Although we so far have no definitive answer to these questions, Comparative Longevity (CL) has revealed significant differences between mammalian species, suggesting that minor genetic differences may be responsible for the notable differences in lifespan often observed. The example of dogs, whose size, life expectancy and susceptibility to disease can vary greatly even between breeds, suggests that few alleles may have a significant effect on longevity and age-related disease. The identification of the genes and mechanisms regulating longevity has utilized simple model organisms. Worms, yeasts, fruit flies and mice have aided in determining the role of Igf1, Tor, Ras and PI3K as major regulators of longevity and genomic instability, epigenetic derangement, the nutrient response pathway, as well as the rate of telomere shortening, which could be associated to accelerated or delayed aging. Owing to their low cost, genetic resources and limited ethical constraints, model systems can play a significant role in identifying substances, alleles, and the molecular mechanisms capable of modulating aging.

Dr. Mario G. Mirisola
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • genes
  • longevity
  • model organism
  • aging
  • genetic

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 781 KiB  
Article
Model Organisms in Aging Research: Evolution of Database Annotation and Ortholog Discovery
by Elizaveta Sarygina, Anna Kliuchnikova, Svetlana Tarbeeva, Ekaterina Ilgisonis and Elena Ponomarenko
Genes 2025, 16(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16010008 - 25 Dec 2024
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Abstract
Background: This study aims to analyze the exploration degree of popular model organisms by utilizing annotations from the UniProtKB (Swiss-Prot) knowledge base. The research focuses on understanding the genomic and post-genomic data of various organisms, particularly in relation to aging as an integral [...] Read more.
Background: This study aims to analyze the exploration degree of popular model organisms by utilizing annotations from the UniProtKB (Swiss-Prot) knowledge base. The research focuses on understanding the genomic and post-genomic data of various organisms, particularly in relation to aging as an integral model for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying pathological processes and physiological states. Methods: Having characterized the organisms by selected parameters (numbers of gene splice variants, post-translational modifications, etc.) using previously developed information models, we calculated proteome sizes: the number of possible proteoforms for each species. Our analysis also involved searching for orthologs of human aging genes within these model species. Results: Our findings indicate that genomic and post-genomic data for more primitive species, such as bacteria and fungi, are more comprehensively characterized compared to other organisms. This is attributed to their experimental accessibility and simplicity. Additionally, we discovered that the genomes of the most studied model organisms allow for a detailed analysis of the aging process, revealing a greater number of orthologous genes related to aging. Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of annotating the genomes of less-studied species to identify orthologs of marker genes associated with complex physiological processes, including aging. Species that potentially possess unique traits associated with longevity and resilience to age-related changes require comprehensive genomic studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genes and Pathway Regulating Longevity in Model Organisms)
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