Information Wellness Blog

Scientists have successfully reversed aging in mice by altering changes to how DNA operates. This development is particularly significant as most experts agree that mutations of DNA play an essential role in aging processes.

Scientists used mixtures of four Yamanaka factors to restore cells back to a biologically younger state and rejuvenate mice by improving their ability to heal and regenerate tissue.

Epigenetics

The genetic code determines which genes are active or inactive in any cell, but various other mechanisms also affect which parts of DNA are bundled up or unspooled at any one time. Epigenetics enables cells to alter gene expression without altering the sequence itself – Conrad Waddington first used this term back in 1940s to describe molecular pathways that modulated genotype into phenotype. Today, scientific community generally refers to epigenetic changes as changes that do not involve changing DNA sequence, but instead affect how genes are regulated instead.

As scientists studied aging, they began to believe that something other than genetic mutations was the source of tissue and organ breakdown. Their list expanded to include other factors which worked with or instead of DNA changes and which affected how DNA segments are packed and unpacked – such as chromatin. Chromatin is an intricate set of physical structures which tightly coil DNA until genes are expressed – then changes to allow those genes into cells where they can be copied and translated into proteins.

Sinclair and his colleagues decided to investigate whether aging could be caused by malfunctions in the epigenetic system. To do this, they increased the rate at which breaks occurred in mice’s DNA without disturbing the coding regions of any genes, before giving long-term treatment with Yamanaka factors which alter epigenetic landscape and restore youthful states in chromatin structure.

Their findings, published online Jan. 12 in Cell, demonstrate how ICE therapy reversed signs of aging in mice. Furthermore, this reprogramming effect persisted longer when mice received Yamanaka factors for seven or 10 months as opposed to just a month.

Sinclair and his colleagues discovered that mammalian cells retain a backup copy of earlier epigenetic information that can be accessed to restore youthful gene expression patterns and chromatin structures. Next up for their research? Exploring how chemicals, when administered at specific dosage levels, reset chromatin states and rejuvenate tissues in real time.

MicroRNA

MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression. Their action has been seen to play an essential role in normal physiological processes like development and cell homeostasis; as well as disease states ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease. Their expression has been extensively researched at both cell, tissue and organism levels and their expression is subject to internal and external forces that determine its expression levels.

Researchers published in Nature found a way to reverse aging in mice using microRNA injection. Mice who received injections lived longer, experienced less hair loss and were generally healthier – this proves their importance for normal physiology as well as being potential therapeutic targets.

To identify miRNAs that are regulated by age, the team used next-generation sequencing (NGS) on PBMCs from 3-, 8- and 12-month-old mice. They selected differentially expressed (DERs) miRNAs with at least a 2-fold change between time points; six miRNAs were identified in this way; their expression was confirmed using real-time qPCR, while western blotting analysis confirmed these expressions – all six miRNAs showed downregulation with age in older mice.

Overexpression of miR-34a has been linked with neuronal dysfunction, decreased learning and memory in Alzheimer mouse models and diet restrictions (calorie restriction increases its expression while simultaneously decreasing levels of mRNA encoding for synaptic proteins) (Agostini et al, 2011). MiR-34a expression is controlled by the p53 family member p73 which may act as an inhibitor against age related pathways.

MiRNAs were encased in lipid and administered via intravenous injection to the mice livers. Once administered, these miRNAs restored expression levels of targeted proteins as well as associated ageing genes in their livers.

Results of this study demonstrate that synthetic microRNA can significantly extend the lives of mice. Though its impact in humans remains uncertain, mice injected with microRNA lived longer and displayed fewer signs of aging than control mice injected without microRNA reverse therapy injection. Researchers believe this technology may also prove useful for treating human diseases related to aging.

Fecal Transplants

Fecal transplant, also known as “poop transplant”, is a medical procedure which transfers healthy stool samples to someone suffering from diseased colon. It is currently used as an effective means to treat Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections.

An intact digestive tract contains millions of beneficial or harmless bacteria. Unfortunately, some medications such as antibiotics can kill many of these beneficial strains and allow bad ones such as C. diff to take control – leading to diarrhea and severe cramping symptoms.

Scientists have recently discovered that reincorporating friendly microbes back into an individual’s gut microbiome can restore balance to it and even alter their metabolism and behavior. Mice who were given transplanted fecal samples from young animals outlived control mice despite age differences; cholesterol levels also fell significantly more. Scientists saw changes in liver metabolism as well as changes in gene activity related to immune functions.

Fecal transplants may be administered via various means, including an enema or oral capsule. When receiving an enema, typically you’ll wear a hospital gown and lie on a table with your knees bent towards your chest; your healthcare provider will apply an anus lubricant before inserting a tube containing your transplant about five inches into the colon and release its clamp so its contents can flow in by gravity.

Studies published by the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that over 80% of people treated for C. diff with fecal transplants were completely cured within one month, leading researchers to explore ways they can replicate those results with human volunteers participating in other experiments.

FMT in this study that included both young and aged mice led to significant compositional shifts in recipient gut microbiota, including increased signature species such as Prevotella sp. MGM2, Leptostrema muridarum and Lachnospiraceae bacterium 10-1 as well as decreased levels of Enterorhabdus caecimuris, Muribaculaceae bacterium DSM103720, Akkermansia muciniphila (Figs 6A& B). However these shifts were less prominent among aged recipients (Figs 6A& B).

Stem Cells

Scientists are actively looking into ways to extend the lives of stem cells, which have the ability to produce specialized cells that form tissues and organs. While stem cells have limited starting material and reduced renewal capacity compared with mature cells, they offer promise as a renewable source for cell-based therapies.

Researchers have long understood that stem cells are susceptible to mutations that prevent cells from functioning normally and lead to disease. Over time, accumulation of mutations may cause cells in an individual tissue or entire body to lose their original identity and lead to age-related conditions.

Many studies have demonstrated that reducing mutation rates can significantly delay or reverse cellular aging; one team led by University of California Los Angeles researcher David Jones discovered that some adult stem cells accumulate too many lipids that impeded their ability to divide and generate new specialized cells, impairing division and generation of new specialized cells. They created an enzyme-targeting therapy to remove them, leading to a decrease in mutation rates of over 50% among stem cells studied by this team.

Scientists are discovering innovative techniques for delaying cell aging. One such technique, known as Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Conversion (iPSC), has already shown promising results in treating certain diseases, and is being explored for use in transplant medicine.

One Cedars-Sinai study published in Advanced Science produced “youthful” immune cells by infusing human iPS cells with rejuvenating proteins known as Yamanaka factors. When introduced into mice with Alzheimer’s disease, these young immune cells protected their brains against neurodegeneration while improving memory tests.

Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine used iPS-based study to reverse aging of skeletal muscle stem cells in old mice and restore their strength. Their team employed rejuvenating proteins to transform adult skeletal muscle cells into iPS-like stem cells that could then give rise to any tissue type within their bodies – this treatment provided recovery of strength as well as less inflammation than untreated mice.

Many jellyfish follow an predictable lifecycle from birth through reproduction and death; however, one species, Mnemiopsis leidyi comb jelly, appears to defy this linear principle.

Mnemiopsis leidyi can reverse its lifecycle in captivity by returning to polyp stage from any point during medusa phase, effectively living forever. This trick allows it to navigate ocean crossings by riding ballast water from ships.

The Immortal Jellyfish

Scientists have recently discovered an incredible hydrozoan known as the immortal jellyfish which defies biology and can actually reverse its own growth and development, going through reverse puberty from adult medusa back into an infant polyp. This allows it to repeat its lifecycle indefinitely – effectively living forever!

While most animals age in one direction, certain species such as Turritopsis dohrnii (the immortal jellyfish) and Mnemiopsis leidyi (comb jellyfish) have discovered ways to break this trend. These include immortal jellyfish such as Turritopsis dohrnii (Turritopsis dohrnii).

Jellyfish are one of the world’s most widespread invertebrates, comprising over 750 known species. Renowned for their mesmerizing bell-like bells, sting-filled tentacles, and transparent gelatinous bodies, jellyfish are beloved aquatic inhabitants known for their mesmerising bell-like bells, sting-filled tentacles, and clear gelatinous bodies. Most jellyfish begin life as tiny planula larvae that settle onto sea floors or ship hulls where colonies of polyps form colonies before sexual maturity occurs and then finally buds into mobile jellyfish-like medusae which may drift throughout the ocean until eventually the medusae die off leaving behind another polyp which continues its cycle – leaving another polyp that can continue the cycle anew.

Researchers from Norway’s University of Bergen were shocked to find a baby polyp in an aquarium meant to house adult comb jellyfish; upon closer examination they realized it had reverted back into its baby polyp stage despite having reached adulthood. This unexpected discovery published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that certain species can cheat death by changing its biological clock and defying aging by going backward.

To test their theory, scientists exposed comb jellyfish to several stressors – prolonged starvation and physical injury via “lobectomy”, or cutting of adult lobes). After testing six individuals under both types of stressors, they discovered that each could revert back into its baby polyp stage using either treatment option.

Researchers aim to understand the cellular mechanisms behind this extraordinary phenomenon that has earned immortal jellyfish the title of “immortal”. Additionally, they would like to learn if similar processes can be applied to other jellyfish and species with an ultimate aim of increasing human lifespans.

Turritopsis dohrnii

Biology dictates that most organisms abide by a lifecycle consisting of birth, aging and death – yet some manage to defy this pattern. One such creature is Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish; an immortal species capable of changing between its polyp and medusa stages through transdifferentiation; it’s like watching a butterfly transform back into its larval stage before changing back again into its butterfly form on an enormous scale!

Scientists have observed that this ability enables immortal jellyfish to avoid death and restart their lives when stressed, such as when starved or its temperature or salinity changes suddenly; when injured; or starving. When stressed, these animals drop to the ocean floor where their cells transform into cysts before eventually growing back into medusas or polyps and starting the cycle all over again.

Miglietta emphasizes that jellyfish with this unique ability make an excellent model for studying systemic senescence and regeneration, since their cysts serve not only as models of medusae stages but also the genetic processes involved in transitions between the medusa stage and polyp stage. Early data indicate that immortal jellyfish revert back into polyp form by expressing genes from sirtuin family linked with healthy longevity in humans as well as having active heat shock proteins known to counteract telomere shortening.

Turritopsis dohrnii’s ability to change back to its polyp stage when under stress is both fascinating and expected. Other species, including close relatives of Turritopsis dohrnii such as Mnemiopsis leidyi comb jelly species have shown that when stressed they can switch from their mature “lobate” state back into an earlier larval form reverting back into early larval stages revert back into this early state revert back into polyp formation reverting back from mature “lobate” state back into early larval stage!

Future learning from these two organisms on how to reverse aging could provide invaluable lessons. There have already been encouraging signs; immortal jellyfish have genes which may prevent telomere degradation while both organisms express numerous genes associated with anti-ageing properties of stress.

Mnemiopsis leidyi

Mnemiopsis leidyi, commonly known as the sea walnut, has proven to have devastating impacts on ecosystems it invades. Competing with native fish species for food sources and potentially leading to local ecosystem collapse. First observed in the Black Sea during the 1980s and now found throughout western Eurasia via ship ballast water transport, Mnemiopsis leidyi can now be found across much of western Eurasia.

Joan Soto-Angel of Norway’s University of Bergen and Pawel Burkhardt have discovered that Mnemiopsis leidyi is unique among aquatic organisms in that it can revert back to an earlier stage in its lifecycle after reaching adult status, providing flexibility not often seen within animal species. Under stressful conditions, this may prove especially helpful.

Researchers observed that Mnemiopsis leidyi could easily transform back to its larval form with two tentacles used to capture food. Mnemiopsis leidyi exposed to high levels of stress such as starvation developed more quickly into its larval state than non-stressed jellies.

Six Mnemiopsis leidyi injected with DiI dissolved in soybean oil underwent full reverse development within 15 days, while uninjected jellies took seven weeks. DiI injection stimulated their reverse development by increasing levels of the protein known as cyclin B which promotes cell division and growth.

Scientists believe Mnemiopsis leidyi’s ability to reverse its aging may be related to its production of cyclin B, an enzyme responsible for cell division regulation. By understanding what triggers its reverse cellular process, scientists hope they may be able to replicate this process in other marine organisms to increase survival rates and ensure continued aquatic ecosystem health.

This research expands our understanding of developmental flexibility in ctenophores and establishes Mnemiopsis leidyi as an invaluable model system to study its molecular mechanisms that regulate growth. It would be fascinating to witness if other organisms such as humans could replicate similar forms of development.

How it works

Researchers have solved the riddle behind an astonishing jellyfish species known as Mnemiopsis leidyi, which defies nature’s usual aging process by turning back time after sexual maturity. After sexual maturation, Mnemiopsis leidyi can skip its larval stage altogether and start life all over again as a polyp, similar to how butterflies often transition back from caterpillar to butterfly form after mating. This remarkable feat earned Mnemiopsis leidyi the moniker “Benjamin Button jelly,” yet researchers weren’t sure how this remarkable feat could work until now.

Other jellyfish species can morph back into polyp form once or twice after sexual reproduction, while T. dohrnii appears to do this time after time after sexual reproduction. To understand what sets T. dohrnii apart, scientists conducted comparisons between it and another similar jellyfish that normally ages; researchers discovered that immortal species has double the number of genes involved with DNA repair and protection, according to New Scientist; these may help the animal thwart death by switching into its polyp form again after death occurs.

Polyp stages, which reach full maturity when they reach smaller than your pinky nail when fully grown, can develop into adult medusae or umbrella-shaped jellyfish that swim around and mate to produce more eggs. But if one is injured or stressed during adulthood, its polyp stage could revert back into its butterfly form without going through another metamorphosis into caterpillar stage first – like butterflies can go back into butterfly mode without going through another transformation stage like caterpillar to butterfly transformation.

A polyp may revert back into an adult jellyfish as often as desired, though there may be risks involved in doing so. For instance, too long as an adult could expose itself to predators and diseases; fortunately the immortal jellyfish has other survival strategies at its disposal as well – sucking water from surrounding seas for replenishing nutrition or accepting an attack from another jellyfish to restore vitality and vitality.

Scientists hope that with their new knowledge, scientists could one day develop drugs to mimic the immortal jellyfish’s incredible regeneration capabilities; but for now, their team of researchers are focused on understanding more about how this incredible species reverses aging so as to better promote human health.