1. Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA;2. Sam and Ann Barsop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA;3. Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA;4. Department of Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA;5. Department of Nephrology and Proteomics Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA;6. Sanders‐Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Abstract:
Naked mole‐rats (NMRs) are the oldest‐living rodent species. Living underground in a thermally stable ecological niche, NMRs have evolved certain exceptional traits, resulting in sustained health spans, negligible cognitive decline, and a pronounced resistance to age‐related disease. Uncovering insights into mechanisms underlying these extraordinary traits involved in successful aging may conceivably provide crucial clues to extend the human life span and health span. One of the most fundamental processes inside the cell is the production of ATP, which is an essential fuel in driving all other energy‐requiring cellular activities. Not surprisingly, a prominent hallmark in age‐related diseases, such as neurodegeneration and cancer, is the impairment and dysregulation of metabolic pathways. Using a two‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis proteomics approach, alterations in expression and phosphorylation levels of metabolic proteins in the brains of NMRs, aged 2–24 years, were evaluated in an age‐dependent manner. We identified 13 proteins with altered levels and/or phosphorylation states that play key roles in various metabolic pathways including glycolysis, β‐oxidation, the malate‐aspartate shuttle, the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle (TCA) cycle, the electron transport chain, NADPH production, as well as the production of glutamate. New insights into potential pathways involved in metabolic aspects of successful aging have been obtained by the identification of key proteins through which the NMR brain responds and adapts to the aging process and how the NMR brain adapted to resist age‐related degeneration.
