New genetic findings should help scientists uncover the secrets of human ageing, researchers have reported.
A team led by Dr Marjolein Peters, of the Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, searched for changes in gene expression in blood samples from 15,000 people of European ancestry. The aim was to find clear markers of human ageing.
This led to the identification of 1,450 genes that appeared to be linked to ageing, plus 47 genes that were already known to be linked to ageing. The team reports that several of these genes work together, for example, by generating the energy supply of the cells (mitochondrial function), metabolic processes, and the stability and flexibility of cells.
In the journal Nature Communications on 22 October, the team writes: "Disease incidences increase with age, but the molecular characteristics of ageing that lead to increased disease susceptibility remain inadequately understood."
Once the 1,497 genes were identified, the team used the gene expression profiles to calculate the "transcriptomic age" of an individual. Then they found that any differences between this transcriptomic age and true age were due to factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting glucose, and body mass index.
The study improves our understanding of the molecular changes during ageing, they believe.
Co-authors Dr Luke Pilling, of Exeter University, UK, said: "This study has discovered many genes that change in their patterns of expression with age. This study has not only given insights into ageing mechanisms, such as mitochondrial function, but these techniques have potential use in prediction and treatment.
"Projects such as these provide a great platform to focus ageing research in the future, with the hope that predictive tests can be developed, and treatment strategies for age-related conditions improved."
Peters, M. J. et al. The transcriptional landscape of age in human peripheral blood. Nature Communications 622 October 2015 doi:10.1038/ncomms9570
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