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Lipid Supplementation for Longevity and Gene Transcriptional Analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: December 9, 2022
Multi-Tissue Metabolomic Signatures of Five Longevity Interventions Converge on Ergothioneine and Lipid Remodeling in
Bretton Badenoch1, Oliver Fiehn2, Noa Rappaport3,4,5
1Department of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103, USA.
Abstract:
The pace of aging can be delayed by mutations, dietary manipulations, and drugs, yet the metabolic mechanisms underlying longevity interventions remain poorly understood. Here we present a multi-tissue metabolomic analysis of male UM-HET3 mice treated from 4 to 12 months of age with five validated longevity interventions: rapamycin, acarbose, 17α-estradiol, canagliflozin, or caloric restriction. Using a feature-stabilized XGBoost pipeline applied to seven tissues, we show that metabolomic profiles can identify treated mice as likely recipients of a lifespan-extending intervention well before survival differences emerge. A leave-one-intervention-out procedure confirmed that models trained on any four interventions successfully classified mice from a fifth, unseen intervention, implying shared metabolic alterations across mechanistically distinct treatments. The most influential metabolites - defined as the minimum set explaining 50% of cumulative model gain - differed substantially across tissues. Only ergothioneine, a dietary antioxidant, ranked highly in more than two tissues: it was elevated by all five interventions in plasma and brain, and by four of five in muscle. Enrichment analyses further identified coordinated remodeling of lipid classes in plasma, perigonadal fat, and kidney. These findings reveal tissue-specific metabolic reprogramming shared across mechanistically distinct longevity interventions and, pending validation against interventions that do not extend lifespan, suggest a path toward metabolomic screening of candidate anti-aging drugs.
Insights
Metabolic profiles can predict lifespan-extending interventions before survival changes are visible. Distinct interventions show shared metabolic shifts, highlighting ergothioneine
Area of Science:
- Metabolomics
- Aging Research
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Mechanisms of longevity interventions are poorly understood.
- Metabolic alterations are key to aging.
- Identifying shared metabolic pathways across interventions is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate shared metabolic reprogramming across diverse longevity interventions.
- To determine if metabolomics can predict intervention efficacy early.
- To identify key metabolites associated with lifespan extension.
Main Methods:
- Multi-tissue metabolomic analysis in UM-HET3 mice.
- Application of a feature-stabilized XGBoost pipeline.
- Leave-one-intervention-out cross-validation for model assessment.
Main Results:
- Metabolomic profiles accurately identified mice receiving lifespan-extending interventions.
- Shared metabolic alterations were observed across mechanistically distinct treatments.
- Ergothioneine was elevated across multiple tissues by most interventions.
- Tissue-specific lipid remodeling was identified.
Conclusions:
- Metabolomics can serve as an early biomarker for longevity interventions.
- Distinct interventions induce convergent metabolic adaptations.
- Ergothioneine and lipid remodeling are significant metabolic targets in aging research.
