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Tight supplies of precious isotope are driving new approaches to ultracold tech

Plasma proteomic aging clocks estimate biological age and are linked to age-related diseases, but thus far, there has been little focus on circulating extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, which play a central role in tissue structure and age-related decline. Here, we use publicly available proteomic datasets to profile plasma ECM protein abundances across the human lifespan and reveal a distinct U-shaped trajectory with age. Our ECM-based aging clock, constructed from 14 plasma proteins,...

Middle-aged/older (MA/O) men with low testosterone have greater oxidative stress-mediated vascular endothelial dysfunction, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Testosterone deficiency impairs mitochondria, a source and target of oxidative stress. Whether the greater vascular endothelial dysfunction in MA/O men with low testosterone is related to mitochondrial dysfunction is unknown. This cross-sectional study measured mitochondrial respiration in peripheral blood mononuclear...

Sarcopenia is characterized by age-related declines in muscle strength and mass, along with impaired physical function. It remains an unmet medical need, and there are no pharmacological interventions approved for this indication. The activation of growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR)-1a, also known as ghrelin receptor, stimulates food intake and has acute anabolic effects. However, its impact on aging muscles remains uncertain. We examined the effects of GHSR-1a deletion on sarcopenia...

Mineral grains show Colorado River filled a basin at the canyon’s head millions of years ago

Newly discovered bacterial defense system challenges genetic code’s central dogma

Researchers encode the tiny hepatitis D virus in an early step toward “quantum genomics”

Ancient DNA reveals “massive” genetic shifts tied to rise of farming, wheels, and metal tools

Gaining precise control of gene expression is crucial in biomedical applications. However, spatiotemporal precision remains challenging. Here, we present a remotely controlled in vivo gene switch responsive to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) that enables precise spatiotemporal activation of target genes. We uncovered the EMF-inducible gene switch activation mechanism via a CRISPR-Cas9 screen, identifying cytochrome b5 type B (Cyb5b) as an essential mediator likely acting as an EMF sensor. The...

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare, age-related neurodegenerative disease that shares clinical and pathological features with Parkinson's disease (PD) but presents a more devastating disease course. To elucidate the distinct cellular pathophysiology, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing on postmortem striatal brain tissue from 7 MSA and 12 PD patients, and 10 non-neurological cases. Here, we show significant compositional differences in astroglia and microglia subtypes, while...

Dissecting biological pathways highlighted by Mendelian gene discovery has provided critical insights into the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and neurodegeneration. This approach ultimately catalyzes the identification of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Here we identify PSMF1 as a gene implicated in parkinsonism and childhood neurodegeneration. We find that biallelic PSMF1 missense and loss-of-function variants co-segregate with phenotypes from early-onset PD to perinatal...

Immunosenescence drives organismal aging, yet quantifying its heterogeneity to uncover therapeutic targets remains challenging. We construct a human immune aging clock from single-cell multi-omics data of nearly 1.2 million human peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 230 individuals, precisely mapping immune aging. T cell (TC) transcriptomes are key predictors, revealing hallmarks such as naive cell loss and clonal contraction. This framework identifies the transcription factor RUNX1, whose...

Regulated cell death-processes such as apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis-is essential for development, tissue homeostasis, and response to infection or cellular stress. The proteins involved in regulated cell death necessarily possess powerful and potentially damaging activities, including proteolysis, membrane pore formation, DNA cleavage, and inflammatory pathway activation. Traditionally, these activities drive cell death. However, sub-lethal activation of these pathways...

B cell development is one of the best-understood processes within the immune system. Coordination between transcriptional programs and antigen receptor assembly determines B cell fate, diversifies the antibody repertoire, and allocates specificities to the best-suited subsets. This enables B cells to respond to a wide variety of challenges, which, when encountered, can lead B cells to seemingly converge upon a common fate: the antibody-secreting plasma cell. Yet, as we discuss in this review,...

Gaining precise control of gene expression is crucial in biomedical applications. However, spatiotemporal precision remains challenging. Here, we present a remotely controlled in vivo gene switch responsive to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) that enables precise spatiotemporal activation of target genes. We uncovered the EMF-inducible gene switch activation mechanism via a CRISPR-Cas9 screen, identifying cytochrome b5 type B (Cyb5b) as an essential mediator likely acting as an EMF sensor. The...

CONCLUSION: This bibliometric survey defines the age and focus of the research into HGPS, with published research being highly concentrated and collaborative and showing possible future research directions in regenerative therapy and epigenetic control. Although the modern knowledge about the progeria condition has grown significantly, there is still a significant drawback of the psychosocial research, prolonged therapy trials, and equity in research participation globally. The results thus...

CONCLUSION: HIIT and plasma from young trained rats may offer protective or restorative benefits against sarcopenia. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of combining or alternating exercise and plasma-based strategies in elderly populations.

Transfer RNA genes (tDNAs) are essential genomic elements that safeguard translational fidelity. Using the T2T version of the human genome we have mapped the position of human tDNAs and analyzed their individual transcriptional activities. Then we have characterized, at single base resolution, the impact of somatic mutations in human tDNAs and its relationship to the transcriptional status of each gene. We confirm that tDNAs are hotspots for somatic mutagenesis, and show that they display...