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Myelination of neuronal axons is essential for nervous system development. Myelination requires dramatic cytoskeletal dynamics in oligodendrocytes, but how actin is regulated during myelination is poorly understood. We recently identified serum response factor (SRF)-a transcription factor known to regulate expression of actin and actin regulators in other cell types-as a critical driver of myelination in the aged brain. Yet, a major gap remains in understanding the mechanistic role of SRF in...

Synaptic dysfunction plays a key role in Parkinson's disease (PD), and plasma extracellular vesicle (EV) synaptic proteins are emerging as biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases. Assessment of plasma EV synaptic proteins for their efficacy as biomarkers in PD and their relationship with disease progression was conducted. In total, 144 participants were enrolled, including 101 people with PD (PwP) and 43 healthy controls (HCs). The changes in plasma EV synaptic protein levels between baseline...

The etiology of hair loss remains enigmatic, and current remedies remain inadequate. Transcriptome analysis of aging hair follicles uncovered changes in immune pathways, including Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Our findings demonstrate that the maintenance of hair follicle homeostasis and the regeneration capacity after damage depend on TLR2 in hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). In healthy hair follicles, TLR2 is expressed in a cycle-dependent manner and governs HFSCs activation by countering...

Several genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease implicate genes involved in lipid metabolism and many of these lipid genes are highly expressed in glial cells¹. However, the relationship between lipid metabolism in glia and Alzheimer's disease pathology remains poorly understood. Through single-nucleus RNA sequencing of brain tissue in Alzheimer's disease, we have identified a microglial state defined by the expression of the lipid droplet-associated enzyme ACSL1 with ACSL1-positive...

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Ion trapping has been found to be responsible for the performance degradation in electrochromic oxide thin films, and a detrapping procedure was proved to be effective to rejuvenate the degraded films. Despite of the studies on ion trapping and detrapping, its dynamics remain largely unknown. Moreover, coloration mechanisms of electrochromic oxides are also far from clear, limiting the development of superior devices. Here, we visualize ion trapping and detrapping dynamics in a model...

Understanding how and why menopause has evolved is a long-standing challenge across disciplines. Females can typically maximize their reproductive success by reproducing for the whole of their adult life. In humans, however, women cease reproduction several decades before the end of their natural lifespan^(1,2). Although progress has been made in understanding the adaptive value of menopause in humans^(3,4), the generality of these findings remains unclear. Toothed whales are the only mammal...

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Tryptophan catabolism is highly conserved and generates important bioactive metabolites, including kynurenines, and in some animals, NAD^(+) . Aging and inflammation are associated with increased levels of kynurenine pathway (KP) metabolites and depleted NAD^(+) , factors which are implicated as contributors to frailty and morbidity. Contrastingly, KP suppression and NAD^(+) supplementation are associated with increased life span in some animals. Here, we used DGRP_229 Drosophila to elucidate...

Weakened germinal center responses by the aged immune system result in diminished immunity against pathogens and reduced efficacy of vaccines. Prolonged contacts between activated B cells and CD4^(+) T cells are crucial to germinal center formation and T follicular helper cell (Tfh) differentiation, but it is unclear how aging impacts the quality of this interaction. Peptide immunization confirmed that aged mice have decreased expansion of antigen-specific germinal center B cells and reduced...

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare and fatal disease manifested by premature aging and aging-related phenotypes, making it a disease model for aging. The cellular machinery mediating age-associated phenotypes in HGPS remains largely unknown, resulting in limited therapeutic targets for HGPS. In this study, we showed that mitophagy defects impaired mitochondrial function and contributed to cellular markers associated with aging in mesenchymal stem cells derived from HGPS...

Science, Volume 383, Issue 6688, March 2024.