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Slowing down to take it in: Endocytosis during cellular aging
1School of Life Sciences and Sustainability, Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond, VA, USA.
The Journal of Cell Biology
|October 15, 2025
Summary
Older yeast cells show functional decline due to increased vacuolar pH, which impairs clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This impacts aging-related plasma membrane protein quality control mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Aging Research
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Cellular aging is characterized by functional decline and accumulated damage.
- The precise mechanisms driving these age-related cellular changes remain incompletely understood.
- Maintaining plasma membrane integrity and protein function is crucial for cellular health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of aging on cellular endocytic processes.
- To explore the role of vacuolar pH in age-related cellular dysfunction.
- To understand how aging affects clathrin-mediated endocytosis in yeast.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the yeast model organism (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to study aging.
- Measured vacuolar pH in young versus aged yeast cells.
- Assessed the rate and efficiency of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in relation to vacuolar pH.
Main Results:
- Identified a significant increase in vacuolar pH in older yeast cells compared to younger cells.
- Demonstrated that elevated vacuolar pH directly slows down the process of clathrin-mediated endocytosis.
- Observed a correlation between impaired endocytosis and cellular aging markers.
Conclusions:
- Increased vacuolar pH is a key factor contributing to functional decline in aging yeast cells.
- The study elucidates a novel mechanism linking vacuolar homeostasis to endocytic function during aging.
- These findings offer insights into plasma membrane protein quality control in the context of aging.
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