Hormesis, cellular stress response and vitagenes as critical determinants in aging and longevity

Understanding mechanisms of aging and determinants of life span will help to reduce age-related morbidity and facilitate healthy aging. Average lifespan has increased over the last centuries, as a consequence of medical and environmental factors, but maximal life span remains unchanged. Extension of maximal life span is currently possible in animal models with measures such as genetic manipulations and caloric restriction (CR). CR appears to prolong life by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative damage. But ROS formation, which is positively implicated in cellular stress response mechanisms, is a highly regulated process controlled by a complex network of intracellular signaling pathways. By sensing the intracellular nutrient and energy status, the functional state of mitochondria, and the concentration of ROS produced in mitochondria, the longevity network regulates life span across species by co-ordinating information flow along its convergent, divergent and multiply branched signaling pathways, including vitagenes which are genes involved in preserving cellular homeostasis during stressful conditions. Vitagenes encode for heat shock proteins (Hsp) Hsp32, Hsp70, the thioredoxin and the sirtuin protein systems. Dietary antioxidants, such as carnosine, carnitines or polyphenols, have recently been demonstrated to be neuroprotective through the activation of hormetic pathways, including vitagenes. The hormetic dose-response, challenges long-standing beliefs about the nature of the dose-response in a lowdose zone, having the potential to affect significantly the design of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials as well as strategies for optimal patient dosing in the treatment of numerous diseases. Given the broad cytoprotective properties of the heat shock response there is now strong interest in discovering and developing pharmacological agents capable of inducing stress responses. In this review we discuss the most current and up to date understanding of the possible signaling mechanisms by which caloric restriction, as well hormetic caloric restriction-mimetics compounds by activating vitagenes can enhance defensive systems involved in bioenergetic and stress resistance homeostasis with consequent impact on longevity processes.     

Calorie restriction reduces oxidative stress by SIRT3-mediated SOD2 activation

A major cause of aging and numerous diseases is thought to be cumulative oxidative stress, resulting from the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during respiration. Calorie restriction (CR), the most robust intervention to extend life span and ameliorate various diseases in mammals, reduces oxidative stress and damage. However, the underlying mechanism is unknown. Here, we show that the protective effects of CR on oxidative stress and damage are diminished in mice lacking SIRT3, a mitochondrial deacetylase. SIRT3 reduces cellular ROS levels dependent on superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), a major mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme. SIRT3 deacetylates two critical lysine residues on SOD2 and promotes its antioxidative activity. Importantly, the ability of SOD2 to reduce cellular ROS and promote oxidative stress resistance is greatly enhanced by SIRT3. Our studies identify a defense program that CR provokes to reduce oxidative stress and suggest approaches to combat aging and oxidative stress-related diseases.     

Sirt3 mediates reduction of oxidative damage and prevention of age-related hearing loss under caloric restriction

Caloric restriction (CR) extends the life span and health span of a variety of species and slows the progression of age-related hearing loss (AHL), a common age-related disorder associated with oxidative stress. Here, we report that CR reduces oxidative DNA damage in multiple tissues and prevents AHL in wild-type mice but fails to modify these phenotypes in mice lacking the mitochondrial deacetylase Sirt3, a member of the sirtuin family. In response to CR, Sirt3 directly deacetylates and activates mitochondrial isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (Idh2), leading to increased NADPH levels and an increased ratio of reduced-to-oxidized glutathione in mitochondria. In cultured cells, overexpression of Sirt3 and/or Idh2 increases NADPH levels and protects from oxidative stress-induced cell death. Therefore, our findings identify Sirt3 as an essential player in enhancing the mitochondrial glutathione antioxidant defense system during CR and suggest that Sirt3-dependent mitochondrial adaptations may be a central mechanism of aging retardation in mammals.     

Identification of autophagy as a longevity-assurance mechanism in the aging model Podospora anserina

The filamentous ascomycete Podospora anserina is a well-established aging model in which a variety of different pathways, including those involved in the control of respiration, ROS generation and scavenging, DNA maintenance, proteostasis, mitochondrial dynamics, and programmed cell death have previously been demonstrated to affect aging and life span. Here we address a potential role of autophagy. We provide data demonstrating high basal autophagy levels even in strains cultivated under noninduced conditions. By monitoring an N-terminal fusion of EGFP to the fungal LC3 homolog PaATG8 over the lifetime of the fungus on medium with and without nitrogen supplementation, respectively, we identified a significant increase of GFP puncta in older and in nitrogen-starved cultures suggesting an induction of autophagy during aging. This conclusion is supported by the demonstration of an age-related and autophagy-dependent degradation of a PaSOD1-GFP reporter protein. The deletion of Paatg1, which leads to the lack of the PaATG1 serine/threonine kinase active in early stages of autophagy induction, impairs ascospore germination and development and shortens life span. Under nitrogen-depleted conditions, life span of the wild type is increased almost 4-fold. In contrast, this effect is annihilated in the Paatg1 deletion strain, suggesting that the ability to induce autophagy is beneficial for this fungus. Collectively, our data identify autophagy as a longevity-assurance mechanism in P. anserina and as another surveillance pathway in the complex network of pathways affecting aging and development. These findings provide perspectives for the elucidation of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of individual pathways and their interactions.     

Long-lived worms and aging

Several investigators have generated long-lived nematode worms (Caenorhabditis elegans) in the past decade by mutation of genes in the organism in order to study the genetics of aging and longevity. Dozens of longevity assurance genes (LAG) that dramatically increase the longevity of this organism have been identified. All long-lived mutants of C. elegans are also resistant to environmental stress, such as high temperature, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ultraviolet irradiation. Double mutations of some LAGs further extended life span up to 400%, providing more insight into cellular mechanisms that put limits on the life span of organisms. With the availability of the LAG mutants and the combined DNA microarray and RNAi technology, the understanding of actual biochemical processes that determine life span is within reach: the downstream signal transduction pathway may regulate life span by up-regulating pro-longevity genes such as those that encode antioxidant enzymes and/or stress-response proteins, and down-regulating specific life-shortening genes. Furthermore, longevity could be modified through chemical manipulation. Results from these studies further support the free radical theory of aging, suggest that the molecular mechanism of aging process may be shared in all organisms, and provide insight for therapeutic intervention in age-related diseases.     

Longevity regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: linking metabolism, genome stability, and heterochromatin.

When it was first proposed that the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae might serve as a model for human aging in 1959, the suggestion was met with considerable skepticism. Although yeast had proved a valuable model for understanding basic cellular processes in humans, it was difficult to accept that such a simple unicellular organism could provide information about human aging, one of the most complex of biological phenomena. While it is true that causes of aging are likely to be multifarious, there is a growing realization that all eukaryotes possess surprisingly conserved longevity pathways that govern the pace of aging. This realization has come, in part, from studies of S. cerevisiae, which has emerged as a highly informative and respected model for the study of life span regulation. Genomic instability has been identified as a major cause of aging, and over a dozen longevity genes have now been identified that suppress it. Here we present the key discoveries in the yeast-aging field, regarding both the replicative and chronological measures of life span in this organism. We discuss the implications of these findings not only for mammalian longevity but also for other key aspects of cell biology, including cell survival, the relationship between chromatin structure and genome stability, and the effect of internal and external environments on cellular defense pathways. We focus on the regulation of replicative life span, since recent findings have shed considerable light on the mechanisms controlling this process. We also present the specific methods used to study aging and longevity regulation in S. cerevisiae.     

Longevity Regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Linking Metabolism, Genome Stability, and Heterochromatin

When it was first proposed that the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae might serve as a model for human aging in 1959, the suggestion was met with considerable skepticism. Although yeast had proved a valuable model for understanding basic cellular processes in humans, it was difficult to accept that such a simple unicellular organism could provide information about human aging, one of the most complex of biological phenomena. While it is true that causes of aging are likely to be multifarious, there is a growing realization that all eukaryotes possess surprisingly conserved longevity pathways that govern the pace of aging. This realization has come, in part, from studies of S. cerevisiae, which has emerged as a highly informative and respected model for the study of life span regulation. Genomic instability has been identified as a major cause of aging, and over a dozen longevity genes have now been identified that suppress it. Here we present the key discoveries in the yeast-aging field, regarding both the replicative and chronological measures of life span in this organism. We discuss the implications of these findings not only for mammalian longevity but also for other key aspects of cell biology, including cell survival, the relationship between chromatin structure and genome stability, and the effect of internal and external environments on cellular defense pathways. We focus on the regulation of replicative life span, since recent findings have shed considerable light on the mechanisms controlling this process. We also present the specific methods used to study aging and longevity regulation in S. cerevisiae.     

Update on the oxidative stress theory of aging: Does oxidative stress play a role in aging or healthy aging?

The oxidative stress theory of aging predicts that manipulations that alter oxidative stress/damage will alter aging. The gold standard for determining whether aging is altered is life span, i.e., does altering oxidative stress/damage change life span? Mice with genetic manipulations in their antioxidant defense system designed to directly address this prediction have, with few exceptions, shown no change in life span. However, when these transgenic/knockout mice are tested using models that develop various types of age-related pathology, they show alterations in progression and/or severity of pathology as predicted by the oxidative stress theory: increased oxidative stress accelerates pathology and reduced oxidative stress retards pathology. These contradictory observations might mean that (a) oxidative stress plays a very limited, if any, role in aging but a major role in health span and/or (b) the role that oxidative stress plays in aging depends on environment. In environments with minimal stress, as expected under optimal husbandry, oxidative damage plays little role in aging. However, under chronic stress, including pathological phenotypes that diminish optimal health, oxidative stress/damage plays a major role in aging. Under these conditions, enhanced antioxidant defenses exert an “antiaging” action, leading to changes in life span, age-related pathology, and physiological function as predicted by the oxidative stress theory of aging.     

An integrated view of oxidative stress in aging: basic mechanisms, functional effects, and pathological considerations

Aging is an inherently complex process that is manifested within an organism at genetic, molecular, cellular, organ, and system levels. Although the fundamental mechanisms are still poorly understood, a growing body of evidence points toward reactive oxygen species (ROS) as one of the primary determinants of aging. The "oxidative stress theory" holds that a progressive and irreversible accumulation of oxidative damage caused by ROS impacts on critical aspects of the aging process and contributes to impaired physiological function, increased incidence of disease, and a reduction in life span. While compelling correlative data have been generated to support the oxidative stress theory, a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the accumulation of oxidatively mediated damage and aging has not been strongly established. The goal of this minireview is to broadly describe mechanisms of in vivo ROS generation, examine the potential impact of ROS and oxidative damage on cellular function, and evaluate how these responses change with aging in physiologically relevant situations. In addition, the mounting genetic evidence that links oxidative stress to aging is discussed, as well as the potential challenges and benefits associated with the development of anti-aging interventions and therapies.     

Caloric restriction: beneficial effects on brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease

Dietary interventions such as caloric restriction (CR) extend lifespan and health span. Recent data from animal and human studies indicate that CR slows down the aging process, benefits general health, and improves memory performance. Caloric restriction also retards and slows down the progression of different age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. However, the specific molecular basis of these effects remains unclear. A better understanding of the pathways underlying these effects could pave the way to novel preventive or therapeutic strategies. In this review, we will discuss the mechanisms and effects of CR on aging and Alzheimer’s disease. A potential alternative to CR as a lifestyle modification is the use of CR mimetics. These compounds mimic the biochemical and functional effects of CR without the need to reduce energy intake. We discuss the effect of two of the most investigated mimetics, resveratrol and rapamycin, on aging and their potential as Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics. However, additional research will be needed to determine the safety, efficacy, and usability of CR and its mimetics before a general recommendation can be proposed to implement them.     

Methionine sulfoxide reductases: ubiquitous enzymes involved in antioxidant defense, protein regulation, and prevention of aging-associated diseases

Oxidative damage to proteins is considered to be one of the major causes of aging and age-related diseases, and thus mechanisms have evolved to prevent or reverse these modifications. Methionine is one of the major targets of reactive oxygen species (ROS), where it is oxidized to methionine sulfoxide (MetO). Recently, evidence has accumulated suggesting that methionine (Met) oxidation may play an important role in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Oxidative alteration of Met to Met(O) is reversed by the methionine sulfoxide reductases (consisting of MsrA enzymes that reduce S-MetO and MsrB enzymes that reduce R-MetO, respectively). A major biological role of the Msr system is suggested by the fact that the MsrA null mouse (MT) exhibits a neurological disorder in the form of ataxia ("tip toe walking"), is more sensitive to oxidative stress, and has a shorter life span (by approximately 40%) than wild-type (WT) mice. By their action, the Msr enzymes can regulate protein function, be involved in signal-transduction pathways, and prevent cellular accumulation of faulty proteins. Malfunction of the Msr system can lead to cellular changes resulting in compromised antioxidant defense, enhanced age-associated diseases involving neurodegeneration, and shorter life span. In this review, the function and possible roles of the Msr system in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, in general, and in neurodegenerative diseases, in particular, will be discussed.     

Mitochondrial signaling, TOR, and life span

Growing evidence supports the concept that mitochondrial metabolism and reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a major role in aging and determination of an organism's life span. Cellular signaling pathways regulating mitochondrial activity, and hence the generation of ROS and retrograde signaling events originating in mitochondria, have recently moved into the spotlight in aging research. Involvement of the energy-sensing TOR pathway in both mitochondrial signaling and determination of life span has been shown in several studies. This brief review summarizes the recent progress on how mitochondrial signaling might contribute to the aging process with a particular emphasis on TOR signaling from invertebrates to humans.     

Xanthine oxidase is a peroxynitrite synthase: newlyidentified roles for a very old enzyme

Abstract

Several investigators have generated long-lived nematode worms (Caenorhabditis elegans) in the past decade by mutation of genes in the organism in order to study the genetics of aging and longevity. Dozens of longevity assurance genes (LAG) that dramatically increase the longevity of this organism have been identified. All long-lived mutants of C. elegans are also resistant to environmental stress, such as high temperature, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ultraviolet irradiation. Double mutations of some LAGs further extended life span up to 400%, providing more insight into cellular mechanisms that put limits on the life span of organisms. With the availability of the LAG mutants and the combined DNA microarray and RNAi technology, the understanding of actual biochemical processes that determine life span is within reach: the downstream signal transduction pathway may regulate life span by up-regulating pro-longevity genes such as those that encode antioxidant enzymes and/or stress-response proteins, and down-regulating specific life-shortening genes. Furthermore, longevity could be modified through chemical manipulation. Results from these studies further support the free radical theory of aging, suggest that the molecular mechanism of aging process may be shared in all organisms, and provide insight for therapeutic intervention in age-related diseases.     

Interrelation Between Protein Synthesis,Proteostasis and Life Span

The production of newly synthesized proteins is a key process of protein homeostasis that initiates the biosynthetic flux of proteins and thereby determines the composition, stability and functionality of the proteome. Protein synthesis is highly regulated on multiple levels to adapt the proteome to environmental and physiological challenges such as aging and proteotoxic conditions. Imbalances of protein folding conditions are sensed by the cell that then trigger a cascade of signaling pathways aiming to restore the protein folding equilibrium. One regulatory node to rebalance proteostasis upon stress is the control of protein synthesis itself. Translation is reduced as an immediate response to perturbations of the protein folding equilibrium that can be observed in the cytosol as well as in the organelles such as the endoplasmatic reticulum and mitochondria. As reduction of protein synthesis is linked to life span increase, the signaling pathways regu-lating protein synthesis might be putative targets for treatments of age-related diseases. Eukaryotic cells have evolved a complex system for protein synthesis regulation and this review will summarize cellular strategies to regulate mRNA translation upon stress and its impact on longevity.     

Caloric restriction: powerful protection for the aging heart and vasculature

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Research has shown that the majority of the cardiometabolic alterations associated with an increased risk of CVD (e.g., insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and inflammation) can be prevented, and even reversed, with the implementation of healthier diets and regular exercise. Data from animal and human studies indicate that more drastic interventions, i.e., calorie restriction with adequate nutrition (CR), may have additional beneficial effects on several metabolic and molecular factors that are modulating cardiovascular aging itself (e.g., cardiac and arterial stiffness and heart rate variability). The purpose of this article is to review the current knowledge on the effects of CR on the aging of the cardiovascular system and CVD risk in rodents, monkeys, and humans. Taken together, research shows that CR has numerous beneficial effects on the aging cardiovascular system, some of which are likely related to reductions in inflammation and oxidative stress. In the vasculature, CR appears to protect against endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness and attenuates atherogenesis by improving several cardiometabolic risk factors. In the heart, CR attenuates age-related changes in the myocardium (i.e., CR protects against fibrosis, reduces cardiomyocyte apoptosis, prevents myosin isoform shifts, etc.) and preserves or improves left ventricular diastolic function. These effects, in combination with other benefits of CR, such as protection against obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, suggest that CR may have a major beneficial effect on health span, life span, and quality of life in humans.     

Long-term caloric restriction increases UCP3 content but decreases proton leak and reactive oxygen species production in rat skeletal muscle mitochondria

Calorie restriction (CR) without malnutrition increases life span and delays the onset of a variety of diseases in a wide range of animal species. However, the mechanisms responsible for the retardation of aging with CR are poorly understood. We proposed that CR may act, in part, by inducing a hypometabolic state characterized by decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial proton leak. Here, we examine the effects of long-term CR on whole animal energetics as well as muscle mitochondrial energetics, ROS production, and ROS damage. CR was initiated in male FBNF1 rats at 6 mo of age and continued for 12 or 18 mo. Mean whole body VO2 was 34.6 (P < 0.01) and 35.6% (P < 0.001) lower in CR rats than in controls after 12 and 18 mo of CR, respectively. Body mass-adjusted VO2 was 11.1 and 29.5% lower (both P < 0.05) in CR rats than in controls after 12 and 18 mo of CR. Muscle mitochondrial leak-dependent (State 4) respiration was decreased after 12 mo compared with controls; however, after 18 mo of CR, there were slight but not statistically significant differences. Proton leak kinetics were affected by 12 mo of CR such that leak-dependent respiration was lower in CR mitochondria only at protonmotive force values exceeding 170 mV. Mitochondrial H2O2 production and oxidative damage were decreased by CR at both time points and increased with age. Muscle UCP3 protein content increased with long-term CR, consistent with a role in protection from ROS but inconsistent with the observed decrease or no change in proton leak.