Age on the molecular level: showing changes through proteins

With the worldwide population ageing at an unprecedented rate, the prevention of age-related diseases has become a prominent issue. It is important to comprehensively and quantitatively evaluate the changes that ageing causes at the molecular level in the body.

By doing so, it may be possible to pinpoint specific ageing factors and suppress age-related diseases.

Addressing this problem, previously conducted research established an atlas of changes in major tissues from ageing by determining the extent to which mRNA was produced within living cells. However, there has not been an atlas of changes in proteins associated with ageing.

To fill this gap in research, a team led by Lecturer Masaki Takasugi and Professor Naoko Ohtani at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Medicine constructed a highly comprehensive database called the Mouse Aging Proteomic Atlas.

They did so by analysing the proteomes and transcriptomes of brain, artery, heart, kidney, liver, lung, skeletal muscle, and skin tissues of 6-, 15-, 24-, and 30-month-old mice, as well as extracellular matrix-enriched fractions of major tissues.

Through this, it became possible to analyse the characteristics of protein groups affected by ageing in major tissues and revealed proteins in the extracellular matrix that increased with age.

“By clarifying the changes in various tissues due to ageing in detail with regard to the number of proteins that are directly linked to gene function, we have dramatically improved our understanding of the overall changes on the molecular level,” said Dr. Takasugi.

Professor Ohtani concluded: “The results of this research are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the changes that occur with age.”

The findings were published in Nature Communications.