gene Nanog embryonic stem cells has the potential to reverse the effects of aging -
The fountain of youth may lie in an embryonic stem cell gene called Nanog.
In a series of experiments at the University of Buffalo, the gene began in cell Sleep action processes that are essential to the prevention of weak bones, clogged arteries and other telltale signs of growing old.
results, published June 29 in the journal Stem Cells, also show promise in the fight against premature aging disorders such as progeria syndrome Hutchinson-Gilford.
"Our research Nanog helps us better understand the aging process and ultimately how to reverse," said Stelios T. Andreadis, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at school UB engineering and applied sciences, and senior author of the study.
other authors are from the UB Department of biomedical engineering, a joint program between UB school of engineering and the Jacobs school of Medicine and biomedical sciences at UB, and the Department of Biostatistics and bioinformatics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.
to fight against aging, the human body holds a reservoir of unspecialized cells that can regenerate organs. these cells are called adult stem cells, and they are located in all body tissues and react quickly when there is a need.
But as people age, the less adult stem cells do their work well, a scenario that leads to age-related disorders. Reverse the effects of aging on adult stem cells, essentially restarting, can help overcome this problem.
Andreadis previously shown that the ability of adult stem cells to form muscle and generate a decrease in strength with aging. Specifically, it examined a subset of muscle cells called smooth muscle cells that reside in the arteries, intestines and other tissues.
In the new study, Panagiotis Mistriotis, a graduate student in the Andreadis laboratory and first author of the study, introduced Nanog in older stem cells. He found that Nanog opens two key cellular pathways :. Rho kinase associated protein (ROCK) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)
In turn, this jumpstarts dormant proteins (actin) in the construction cytoskeleton that adult stem cells must form muscle cells that contract. Force generated by these cells eventually will restore the regenerative properties that adult stem cells lose because of aging
"Not only Nanog the ability to delay aging, it has the potential in some cases to the reverse,". Andreadis said, noting that the embryonic stem cell gene worked in three different models of aging :. isolated cells from older donors, aged cells in culture, and cells isolated from patients with progeria syndrome Hutchinson-Gilford
Furthermore, the researchers showed that Nanog activated central regulator of muscle formation, serum response factor (SRF), which suggests that the same results may be applicable to the types of skeletal muscles, heart and others.
researchers are now focusing on identifying drugs that can replace or mimic the effects of NANOG. This will allow them to investigate whether aspects of aging in the body can also be reversed. This may have implications for a variety of diseases, all of atherosclerosis and osteoporosis in Alzheimer's disease.
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