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Gene expression reversal toward pre-adult levels in the aging human brain and age-related loss of cellular identity
- Source :
- Scientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2017)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Nature Portfolio, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Abstract It was previously reported that mRNA expression levels in the prefrontal cortex at old age start to resemble pre-adult levels. Such expression reversals could imply loss of cellular identity in the aging brain, and provide a link between aging-related molecular changes and functional decline. Here we analyzed 19 brain transcriptome age-series datasets, comprising 17 diverse brain regions, to investigate the ubiquity and functional properties of expression reversal in the human brain. Across all 19 datasets, 25 genes were consistently up-regulated during postnatal development and down-regulated in aging, displaying an “up-down” pattern that was significant as determined by random permutations. In addition, 113 biological processes, including neuronal and synaptic functions, were consistently associated with genes showing an up-down tendency among all datasets. Genes up-regulated during in vitro neuronal differentiation also displayed a tendency for up-down reversal, although at levels comparable to other genes. We argue that reversals may not represent aging-related neuronal loss. Instead, expression reversals may be associated with aging-related accumulation of stochastic effects that lead to loss of functional and structural identity in neurons.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20452322
- Volume :
- 7
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Scientific Reports
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.3881d4b43a9b6f96ce5433f351a
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05927-4