Mosaic aging

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Lary C Walker, Emory University; James G Herndon Jr., Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2010-06
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2009.12.031
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Medical Hypotheses
• ISSN: 0306-9877
• Volume: 74
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: 1048
• End Page: 1051
• Grant/Funding Information: Supported by NIH grants P01AG026423 and P51RR0000165.
• Research Categories: Biology, Genetics

Abstract

Although all multicellular organisms undergo structural and functional deterioration with age, senescence is not a uniform process. Rather, each organism experiences a constellation of changes that reflect the heterogeneous effects of age on molecules, cells, organs and systems, an idiosyncratic pattern that we refer to as mosaic aging. Varying genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors (local and extrinsic) contribute to the aging phenotype in a given individual, and these agents influence the type and rate of functional decline, as well as the likelihood of developing age-associated afflictions such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. Identifying key factors that drive aging, clarifying their activities in different systems, and in particular understanding how they interact will enhance our comprehension of the aging process, and could yield insights into the permissive role that senescence plays in the emergence of acute and chronic diseases of the elderly.