Mechanisms

YesterdaySun 4 OctSunday 4 October19 papers

Advanced ScienceHumans

Intramuscular fat links to spinal muscle loss and weakness

People with intramuscular fat fractions above 10% showed significantly lower paraspinal muscle mass and strength than those with levels below 5%.People with intramuscular fat fractions above 10% showed significantly lower paraspinal muscle mass and strength than those with levels below 5%. In people with spinal sarcopenia, researchers found that the intramuscular fat fraction, rather than perimuscular fat fraction, was an…

Aging CellCells

Direct conversion to neural stem cells de-ages human blood cells

Converted cells preserved around 13% and 5% of original donor age at low and high passages, respectively, through a protracted de-aging process.Converted cells preserved around 13% and 5% of original donor age at low and high passages, respectively, through a protracted de-aging process. In human blood cells from donors ranging from neonatal to 101 years of age, researchers tracked cellular rejuvenation during direct lineage…

bioRxivAnimalsPreprint

Hypothalamic tau impairs pair bonding in male prairie voles

Expressing mutant tau in the paraventricular hypothalamus stopped 18-month-old male prairie voles from forming selective bonds and altered their…Expressing mutant tau in the paraventricular hypothalamus stopped 18-month-old male prairie voles from forming selective bonds and altered their oxytocin signaling. In monogamous prairie voles, expressing dementia-linked tau P301L in the hypothalamus disrupts selective social bonds…

Acta BiomaterialiaHumans

Human aortic elastin degrades with age in males but not females

In 17 human thoracic aorta samples, elastin stiffness, straightness, and lamellar length decreased significantly with age in males (p < 0.05) but not…In 17 human thoracic aorta samples, elastin stiffness, straightness, and lamellar length decreased significantly with age in males (p < 0.05) but not females. Researchers analyzed purified elastin networks from 17 human thoracic aortas from donors aged 26 to 92 years, including nine males…

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GeroScienceHumans

White matter tract changes link to phishing risk in older adults

In 46 older and 51 younger adults, altered integrity in two social brain tracts partly mediated age-related vulnerability to email phishing.In 46 older and 51 younger adults, altered integrity in two social brain tracts partly mediated age-related vulnerability to email phishing. In a study of 51 younger adults and 46 cognitively healthy older adults, researchers examined how age-related changes in brain white matter relate to…

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iScienceModel organisms

RAS/MAPK overactivation drives motor axon loss in flies

An unbiased genetic screen in Drosophila revealed that excessive RAS/MAPK signaling causes adult-onset neurodegeneration that a MEK inhibitor rescues…An unbiased genetic screen in Drosophila revealed that excessive RAS/MAPK signaling causes adult-onset neurodegeneration that a MEK inhibitor rescues in a dose-dependent manner.

Graphical abstract
Scientific ReportsAnimals

TMEM174 deficiency shortens lifespan and stiffens vessels in mice

Knocking out the proximal tubule protein in mice shortened survival, whereas altering dietary phosphate intake regulated vascular calcification…Knocking out the proximal tubule protein in mice shortened survival, whereas altering dietary phosphate intake regulated vascular calcification, stiffness, and mortality. In mice, deficiency of the renal proximal tubule protein TMEM174 significantly shortened lifespan compared to wild-type…

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Sat 3 Oct13 papers

Pigment Cell & Melanoma ResearchHumans

Darker skin is linked to fewer mtDNA variants from sun exposure

Photoexposed light skin possessed six-fold more variants than dark skin across paired biopsies from six older men.Photoexposed light skin possessed six-fold more variants than dark skin across paired biopsies from six older men. In six older men, researchers analyzed somatic mitochondrial DNA variants from paired skin biopsies taken from photoexposed forearms and photoprotected buttocks.

Sunlight strikes dark and light skin cross-sections, with mitochondria below showing fewer mutated red DNA rings beneath the heavily pigmented skin.
EMBO Molecular MedicineAnimals

Prostaglandin E2 drives cellular senescence and scar fibrosis after cesarean section in mice

Blocking the prostaglandin E2 pathway or targeting cellular senescence reduces uterine scarring and improves tissue repair in mouse models of cesarean…Blocking the prostaglandin E2 pathway or targeting cellular senescence reduces uterine scarring and improves tissue repair in mouse models of cesarean defects. In a new mouse model of cesarean section scar defects, researchers investigated the mechanisms that disrupt uterine healing.

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Experimental & Molecular MedicineCells

Calcium overload impairs muscle regeneration by driving sustained NFAT signaling

Inhibiting NFAT restored myoblast differentiation in culture and improved myofiber repair in injured mice.Inhibiting NFAT restored myoblast differentiation in culture and improved myofiber repair in injured mice. In experiments using cultured myoblasts, mice, and human tissues, researchers investigated how calcium overload hinders skeletal muscle regeneration.

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Molecular EcologyModel organisms

Somatic mutations track age in reef-building corals

Whole-genome sequencing of eight coral colonies showed somatic mutations followed power-law distributions, faced purifying selection, and helped age a…Whole-genome sequencing of eight coral colonies showed somatic mutations followed power-law distributions, faced purifying selection, and helped age a colony to nearly a century.

The accumulation of somatic mutations in a colony of Acropora palmata to estimate the age of a module.
bioRxivCellsPreprint

Aged human muscle secretes an enzyme that impairs stem cell maintenance

Profiling conditioned media revealed that altered sphingolipid signaling reduces muscle stem cell pools in human cell cultures.Profiling conditioned media revealed that altered sphingolipid signaling reduces muscle stem cell pools in human cell cultures. In cell culture experiments using primary muscle cells from young (15–25 years) and aged (60–86 years) human donors, researchers evaluated how aging alters the…

Striated muscle fibres surrounded by spindle-shaped stem cells, dark clusters of an enzyme, and lipid molecules.