Understanding Age Through Protein Changes: New Study

As the global population continues to age rapidly, preventing age-related illnesses has become an increasingly urgent concern. To address this, scientists are working to understand how aging impacts the body at the molecular level. By identifying specific changes, researchers hope to uncover the factors behind aging and develop strategies to prevent diseases linked to it.

In earlier studies, an atlas was created that tracked the changes in key tissues during aging by measuring mRNA production in living cells. However, there was no similar resource for tracking protein changes related to aging.

To fill this gap, a research team led by Lecturer Masaki Takasugi and Professor Naoko Ohtani at Osaka Metropolitan University's Graduate School of Medicine developed a detailed database known as the Mouse Aging Proteomic Atlas, with the findings published in Nature Communications.

The team studied the proteomes and transcriptomes of various tissues—such as the brain, heart, arteries, kidneys, liver, lungs, skeletal muscles, and skin—of mice at four different ages: 6, 15, 24, and 30 months. They also focused on extracellular matrix-enriched fractions of these tissues. This research allowed them to identify protein groups that are affected by aging in key tissues and to pinpoint specific proteins in the extracellular matrix that increase with age.

Dr. Takasugi remarked, "By studying how proteins change in different tissues, we have significantly advanced our understanding of aging at the molecular level."

Professor Ohtani concluded, "The results from this study will play a key role in enhancing our understanding of the biological changes that occur as we age."