Slowing Loss of Motor Function by Inhibiting VPS-34 in the Neuromuscular Junction

In this study, we designed a fast and efficient genome-wide screening assay in C. elegans to systematically identify potential regulators of motor aging. Among the top hits, we functionally validated the role of VPS-34 in regulating motor aging and revealed its cell type-specific mechanisms. VPS-34 is the class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase that phosphorylates phosphatidylinositol (PI) to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI(3)P), regulating motor function in aged but not young worms. Contrary to popular belief that life span and health span are strongly correlated, the global increase of life expectancy over the past decades is rarely accompanied by increased health span. Since aging is characterized by functional decline of multiple organs and tissues, the key to healthy aging is to delay or rescue the decline of essential physiological functions. Motor independence is strongly associated with the quality of life of elderly people, yet motor aging is a common, conserved biological process from worms to humans, leading to frailty, loss of motor independence, falling, and even death. To date, it is still challenging to identify evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that can be exploited to delay or ameliorate motor aging. Combining genetics, pharmacology, and in situ electrophysiology, we demonstrated that partial inhibition of VPS-34 significantly improved neuromuscular synaptic transmission and the muscle integrity, which ameliorate motor aging in both worms...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs