skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Aging and Gene Expression in the Primate Brain

Abstract

It is well established that gene expression levels in many organisms change during the aging process, and the advent of DNA microarrays has allowed genome-wide patterns of transcriptional changes associated with aging to be studied in both model organisms and various human tissues. Understanding the effects of aging on gene expression in the human brain is of particular interest, because of its relation to both normal and pathological neurodegeneration. Here we show that human cerebral cortex, human cerebellum, and chimpanzee cortex each undergo different patterns of age-related gene expression alterations. In humans, many more genes undergo consistent expression changes in the cortex than in the cerebellum; in chimpanzees, many genes change expression with age in cortex, but the pattern of changes in expression bears almost no resemblance to that of human cortex. These results demonstrate the diversity of aging patterns present within the human brain, as well as how rapidly genome-wide patterns of aging can evolve between species; they may also have implications for the oxidative free radical theory of aging, and help to improve our understanding of human neurodegenerative diseases.

Authors:
; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; National Science Foundation, National Institute ofMetal Health; Silvio O Conte Center, Bundesministerium fur Bildung undForschung, Burroughs Welcome Fund, William F Milton Fund, PritzkerNeuropsychiatric Disorders Research Consortium
OSTI Identifier:
860358
Report Number(s):
LBNL-58969
R&D Project: GHEIS3; BnR: 600305000; TRN: US200524%%111
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
PLoS Biology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 3; Journal Issue: 9; Related Information: Journal Publication Date: September,2005
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; AGING; ANIMAL TISSUES; BRAIN; CEREBELLUM; CEREBRAL CORTEX; DISEASES; DNA; GENES; PRIMATES; RADICALS

Citation Formats

Fraser, Hunter B, Khaitovich, Philipp, Plotkin, Joshua B, Paabo, Svante, and Eisen, Michael B. Aging and Gene Expression in the Primate Brain. United States: N. p., 2005. Web. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030274.
Fraser, Hunter B, Khaitovich, Philipp, Plotkin, Joshua B, Paabo, Svante, & Eisen, Michael B. Aging and Gene Expression in the Primate Brain. United States. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030274
Fraser, Hunter B, Khaitovich, Philipp, Plotkin, Joshua B, Paabo, Svante, and Eisen, Michael B. 2005. "Aging and Gene Expression in the Primate Brain". United States. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030274. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/860358.
@article{osti_860358,
title = {Aging and Gene Expression in the Primate Brain},
author = {Fraser, Hunter B and Khaitovich, Philipp and Plotkin, Joshua B and Paabo, Svante and Eisen, Michael B},
abstractNote = {It is well established that gene expression levels in many organisms change during the aging process, and the advent of DNA microarrays has allowed genome-wide patterns of transcriptional changes associated with aging to be studied in both model organisms and various human tissues. Understanding the effects of aging on gene expression in the human brain is of particular interest, because of its relation to both normal and pathological neurodegeneration. Here we show that human cerebral cortex, human cerebellum, and chimpanzee cortex each undergo different patterns of age-related gene expression alterations. In humans, many more genes undergo consistent expression changes in the cortex than in the cerebellum; in chimpanzees, many genes change expression with age in cortex, but the pattern of changes in expression bears almost no resemblance to that of human cortex. These results demonstrate the diversity of aging patterns present within the human brain, as well as how rapidly genome-wide patterns of aging can evolve between species; they may also have implications for the oxidative free radical theory of aging, and help to improve our understanding of human neurodegenerative diseases.},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pbio.0030274},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/860358}, journal = {PLoS Biology},
number = 9,
volume = 3,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Feb 18 00:00:00 EST 2005},
month = {Fri Feb 18 00:00:00 EST 2005}
}