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Washington University in St. Louis

Aging

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Role Of Enampt-Mediated Systemic Nad+ Biosynthesis In Aging And Lifespan, Mitsukuni Yoshida May 2021

The Role Of Enampt-Mediated Systemic Nad+ Biosynthesis In Aging And Lifespan, Mitsukuni Yoshida

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aging is a systemic decline in tissue functions that occurs during the course of our life leading to the development of age-associated health deteriorations and ultimately to the expiration of life. Over the past few decades, population aging has become increasingly evident in many parts of the world, leading to increased prevalence of age-related disabilities and diseases. Because age is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, extensive research effort has been spent to identify common age-associated molecular changes contributing to the pathogenesis and progression of these health issues. One such molecule identified to play a central role in …


Microrna Gene Expression States Underlying Individual Variation In Aging And Lifespan In Isogenic C. Elegans, Holly Kinser Aug 2020

Microrna Gene Expression States Underlying Individual Variation In Aging And Lifespan In Isogenic C. Elegans, Holly Kinser

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Average lifespan differs greatly between species, but lifespan among same-species individuals is also highly variable. While much effort has been devoted to uncovering longevity-associated traits and lifespan-extending perturbations in humans and model organisms, how differences in lifespan arise between individuals is unknown. Studies of human identical twins demonstrate that surprisingly little of the variation in lifespan between individuals can be explained by genetics and shared environment. Furthermore, even genetically identical C. elegans reared in highly homogeneous environments display a degree of variability in lifespan similar to that of outbred human populations. Thus, longevity must be determined at least in part …


Mechanics Of Phenotypic Aging Trajectories In C. Elegans And Humans, William Zhang May 2019

Mechanics Of Phenotypic Aging Trajectories In C. Elegans And Humans, William Zhang

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Overall, my dissertation integrates longitudinal measurements of physiology to investigate the aging process. In the first half, I examine the surprising and largely unexplained degree of variation in lifespan within even homogeneous populations. I sought to understand how physiological aging differs between long- and short-lived individuals within a population of genetically identical C. elegans reared in a homogeneous environment. Using a novel culture apparatus, I longitudinally monitored aspects of aging physiology across a large population of isolated individuals. Aggregating several measures into an overall estimate of senescence, I find that long- and short-lived individuals start adulthood on an equal physiological …