title: Helicases and aging.
abstract: Studying monogenic hereditary disorders that manifest age-related phenotypes in cells, tissues, and the total organism would be helpful for clarifying the mechanisms of aging. In this context, seven human disorders that manifest age-related phenotypes have been found to be caused by aberrations of five proteins with seven helicase motifs conserved in most of the helicases. These disorders are xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne syndrome, trichothiodystrophy, Bloom syndrome, Werner syndrome, X-linked alpha-thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome, and Juberg-Marsidi syndrome. A decline of probably pleiotropic and fundamental function of helicases in these disorders is, therefore, implied to underlie not only the various age-related phenotypes of the disorders but also the pleiotropic and universal nature of ordinary aging. Consistent with this implication, studies of these seven disorders suggest that their various age-related phenotypes are caused by aberrations in multiple processes, especially transcription. Furthermore, a few studies imply some association between aberration of the helicases and phenotypes in ordinary aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, Ehime University, Japan. nakura@m.ehime-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakura
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morishima
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kohara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miki
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001816:Bloom Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003057:Cockayne Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D011371:Progeria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013577:Syndrome; D014898:Werner Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014983:Xeroderma Pigmentosum / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017085:alpha-Thalassemia / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004265:DNA Helicases