Multitissue, multi-time point transcriptomic atlas of aging in mice and rats

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Aging Research
• Comparative Biology

Background:

• Understanding age-related gene expression is crucial for deciphering aging mechanisms.
• Rodent models are vital for studying lifespan and age-related diseases.
• A comprehensive atlas of age-related gene expression across tissues and species is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate a high-N age-related gene expression atlas in mice and rats.
• To identify genes and pathways consistently up- or down-regulated throughout the rodent lifespan.
• To explore commonalities and differences in aging features across tissues, sexes, and species.

Main Methods:

• Profiling gene expression in 28 tissues of C57BL/6J mice (male and female) and 32 tissues of Sprague Dawley rats (male).
• Analyzing over 5000 samples across multiple time points to capture lifespan changes.
• Identifying age-related genes and pathways with early-life, mid-life, late-life, or linear changes.

Main Results:

• Identified age-related gene expression changes occurring at different life stages (early, mid, late, linear).
• Observed that linear gene changes were dominant in many tissues, but some tissues showed relative sparing from age-related alterations.
• Found distinct and common aging patterns across different tissues, sexes, and species.

Conclusions:

• The generated transcriptomic dataset serves as a valuable resource for aging research.
• Provides insights into the timing, tissue specificity, sex specificity, and species specificity of age-related gene and pathway alterations.
• Facilitates a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying aging in mammals.