Multi-tissue transcriptomic aging atlas reveals predictive aging biomarkers in the killifish

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Comparative genomics
• Vertebrate aging models

Background:

• Aging is a complex process involving progressive tissue dysfunction, frailty, and mortality.
• Understanding tissue-specific and systemic aging mechanisms is vital for developing interventions.
• The African turquoise killifish offers a unique, short-lived vertebrate model for aging research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a comprehensive aging atlas across 13 tissues in the African turquoise killifish.
• To characterize sex- and age-related changes in gene expression and biological pathways.
• To develop and validate tissue-specific transcriptomic clocks for age prediction and intervention evaluation.

Main Methods:

• RNA sequencing of 13 tissues from male and female killifish at six different ages.
• Analysis of gene expression, sex-age interactions, and conserved biological pathways.
• Development and validation of tissue-specific transcriptomic clocks using independent datasets.

Main Results:

• Identification of varying sex-age interaction strengths across tissues.
• Discovery of conserved age-altered genes and pathways in mice and humans.
• Development of tissue-specific transcriptomic clocks and age-predictive biomarkers.
• Observation of a female-biased myeloid shift in the killifish hematopoietic organ with age.

Conclusions:

• The African turquoise killifish serves as a powerful model for studying aging dynamics across tissues.
• Transcriptomic clocks provide a valuable tool for age prediction and assessing lifespan interventions.
• The study highlights conserved aging mechanisms and sex-specific differences relevant to human aging.