Cellular Models of Aging

Paula Ludovico,Heinz D Osiewacz,Vitor Costa,William C Burhans

doi:10.1155/2012/616128

Abstract

Biological aging is a complex and multifactorial process driven by genetic, environmental, and stochastic factors that lead to the physiological decline of biological systems. In humans, old age is the most important risk factor for the development of degenerative diseases, some of which are severe (e.g., dementia, cancer). Understanding the basic mechanisms of aging is essential to the development of effective therapeutic interventions against age-related diseases.

Highlights

With the recent development of technologies that allow for the generation and computational analyses of large data sets, the ultimate goal is to unravel the various interacting molecular pathways governing aging and elaborate a holistic understanding of this complex process. This special issue on was compiled with the following aims: (i) to enhance our understanding of basic mechanisms of aging and (ii) to investigate potential interventions into aging processes. Both original research articles as well as review articles provide an overview of current research and the status of experimentally accessible aging models
This appears to be related to the activation of the dFOXO transcription factor, a known regulator involved in longevity control
Makpol and colleagues address the molecular mechanism of γ-tocotrienol (GTT) in preventing aging, focusing on its antiapoptotic effects in stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS) of human diploid fibroblasts (HDFs)

Summary

Introduction

This special issue on was compiled with the following aims: (i) to enhance our understanding of basic mechanisms of aging and (ii) to investigate potential interventions into aging processes. Osiewacz,[3] Vitor Costa,[4, 5] and William C. Understanding the basic mechanisms of aging is essential to the development of effective therapeutic interventions against age-related diseases.

Results

Conclusion