Natural disaster and immunological aging in a nonhuman primate

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Immunology
• Aging Research

Background:

• Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, causing significant hardships for survivors.
• These hardships can exacerbate existing health conditions and increase mortality risk, mirroring characteristics of advanced age.
• This suggests extreme weather events may accelerate the aging process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of Hurricane Maria and its aftermath on immune cell gene expression in rhesus macaques.
• To determine if exposure to extreme weather events accelerates biological aging.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of immune cell gene expression in large, age-matched samples of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).
• Comparison of gene expression profiles from samples collected before (n=435) and after (n=108) Hurricane Maria.
• Correlation of gene expression changes with age-associated alterations.

Main Results:

• Hurricane Maria was associated with differential expression in 4% of immune-cell-expressed genes.
• Hurricane-exposed macaques exhibited gene expression profiles approximately 1.96 years older than unexposed individuals.
• Exposure was linked to altered expression of key immune genes, dysregulated proteostasis networks, and increased inflammatory markers.

Conclusions:

• Extreme weather events and their aftermath can biologically embed adversity, potentially accelerating age-related immune phenotypes.
• This acceleration may contribute to earlier onset of disease and increased mortality.
• Findings highlight potential mechanisms linking natural disasters to accelerated aging and health consequences.