Studying aging in the wild can help us to understand resilience and healthy aging
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Coastal wetland resilience through local, regional and global conservation
Coastal wetlands, including tidal marshes, mangrove forests and tidal flats, support the livelihoods of millions of people. Understanding the resilience of coastal wetlands to the increasing number and intensity of anthropogenic threats (such as habitat conversion, pollution, fishing and climate change) can inform what conservation actions will be effective. In this Review, we synthesize anthropogenic threats to coastal wetlands and their resilience through the lens of scale. Over decades and centuries, anthropogenic threats have unfolded across local, regional and global scales, reducing both the extent and quality of coastal wetlands. The resilience of existing coastal wetlands is driven by their quality, which is modulated by both physical conditions (such as sediment supply) and ecological conditions (such as species interactions operating from local through to global scales). Protection and restoration efforts, however, are often localized and focus on the extent of coastal wetlands. The future of coastal wetlands will depend on an improved understanding of their resilience, and on society’s actions to enhance both their extent and quality across different scales.
Single-cell immune aging clocks reveal inter-individual heterogeneity during infection and vaccination
Aging affects human immune system functionality, increasing susceptibility to immune-mediated diseases. While gene expression programs accurately reflect immune function, their relationship with biological immune aging and health status remains unclear. Here we developed robust, cell-type-specific aging clocks (sc-ImmuAging) for the myeloid and lymphoid immune cell populations in circulation within peripheral blood mononuclear cells, using single-cell RNA-sequencing data from 1,081 healthy individuals aged from 18 to 97 years. Application of sc-ImmuAging to transcriptome data of patients with COVID-19 revealed notable age acceleration in monocytes, which decreased during recovery. Furthermore, inter-individual variations in immune aging induced by vaccination were identified, with individuals exhibiting elevated baseline interferon response genes showing age rejuvenation in CD8+ T cells after BCG vaccination. sc-ImmuAging provides a powerful tool for decoding immune aging dynamics, offering insights into age-related immune alterations and potential interventions to promote healthy aging.
Golgi-restored vesicular replenishment retards bone aging and empowers aging bone regeneration
Healthy aging is a common goal for humanity and society, and one key to achieving it is the rejuvenation of senescent resident stem cells and empowerment of aging organ regeneration. However, the mechanistic understandings of stem cell senescence and the potential strategies to counteract it remain elusive. Here, we reveal that the aging bone microenvironment impairs the Golgi apparatus thus diminishing mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) function and regeneration. Interestingly, replenishment of cell aggregates-derived extracellular vesicles (CA-EVs) rescues Golgi dysfunction and empowers senescent MSCs through the Golgi regulatory protein Syntaxin 5. Importantly, in vivo administration of CA-EVs significantly enhanced the bone defect repair rate and improved bone mass in aging mice, suggesting their therapeutic value for treating age-related osteoporosis and promoting bone regeneration. Collectively, our findings provide insights into Golgi regulation in stem cell senescence and bone aging, which further highlight CA-EVs as a potential rejuvenative approach for aging bone regeneration.
Reducing functionally defective old HSCs alleviates aging-related phenotypes in old recipient mice
Aging is a process accompanied by functional decline in tissues and organs with great social and medical consequences. Developing effective anti-aging strategies is of great significance. In this study, we demonstrated that transplantation of young hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into old mice can mitigate aging phenotypes, underscoring the crucial role of HSCs in the aging process. Through comprehensive molecular and functional analyses, we identified a subset of HSCs in aged mice that exhibit “younger” molecular profiles and functions, marked by low levels of CD150 expression. Mechanistically, CD150low HSCs from old mice but not their CD150high counterparts can effectively differentiate into downstream lineage cells. Notably, transplantation of old CD150low HSCs attenuates aging phenotypes and prolongs lifespan of elderly mice compared to those transplanted with unselected or CD150high HSCs. Importantly, reducing the dysfunctional CD150high HSCs can alleviate aging phenotypes in old recipient mice. Thus, our study demonstrates the presence of “younger” HSCs in old mice, and that aging-associated functional decline can be mitigated by reducing dysfunctional HSCs.
Protein signatures predict coral resilience and survival to thermal bleaching events
Coral bleaching events from thermal stress are increasing globally in duration, frequency, and intensity. While bleaching can cause mortality, some corals survive, reacquire symbionts, and recover. We experimentally bleached Montipora capitata to examine molecular and physiological differences between corals that recover (resilient) and those that die (susceptible). Corals were collected and monitored for eight months post-bleaching to identify genets with long-term resilience. Using an integrated systems-biology approach that included quantitative proteomics, 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize the coral microbiome, total coral lipids, symbiont community composition and density, we explored molecular-level mechanisms of tolerance in corals pre- and post-bleaching. Prior to thermal stress, resilient corals have a more diverse microbiome and abundant proteins essential for carbon acquisition, symbiont retention, and pathogen resistance. Protein signatures of susceptible corals showed early symbiont rejection and utilized urea for carbon and nitrogen. Our results reveal molecular factors for surviving bleaching events and identify diagnostic protein biomarkers for reef management and restoration.
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