The use of genetically engineered model systems for research on human aging.
A major goal in the field of aging research is to identify molecular mechanisms of aging at the cellular level, which are anticipated to form the basis for the development of age-associated dysfunctions and diseases in human beings. Recent progress in research into model organisms of aging has allowed determining precise molecular mechanisms and genetic determinants of the aging process, which appear to be conserved in evolution and some of which apply to human aging as well. The consortium of the authors focuses on aging mechanisms at the cellular level, and exploits the potential of genetic analyses in lower eukaryotic model organisms for a better understanding of regulatory pathways implicated in aging processes. We have established a new database (GiSAO), which provides a unique resource for the analysis of genome-wide expression patterns as being regulated by senescence, apoptosis and oxidative stress in our model systems. This has led to the identification of candidate genes, which are being tested for their impact on lifespan regulation in yeast, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the nematode C. elegans.
Department of Extracellular Matrix Research, Institute for Biomedical Aging Research, Austria Academy of Sciences, Rennweg 10, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Guenter
G
Lepperdinger
Peter
P
Berger
Michael
M
Breitenbach
Kai-Uwe
KU
Frohlich
Johannes
J
Grillari
Beatrix
B
Grubeck-Loebenstein
Frank
F
Madeo
Nadege
N
Minois
Werner
W
Zwerschke
Pidder
P
Jansen-Durr
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000254:growth & development; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000254:growth & development; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008136:Longevity; D008954:Models, Biological; D012107:Research Design