Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
10:39
A Suppressor Screen for the Characterization of Genetic Links Regulating Chronological Lifespan in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Published on: September 17, 2020
Pasta, a Versatile Transcriptomic Clock, Maps the Chemical and Genetic Determinants of Aging and Rejuvenation
Jérôme Salignon1,2, Maria Tsiokou3, Patricia Marqués3
1Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|July 27, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed Pasta, a novel transcriptomic aging clock (TAC), to accurately measure biological age across various human tissues and data types. This tool aids in identifying age-modulating compounds and understanding aging mechanisms for therapeutic discovery.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Bioinformatics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Age-related diseases pose a significant global health challenge.
- Transcriptomic aging clocks (TACs) offer insights into biological age but face limitations like platform dependence and tissue specificity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a robust, broadly applicable human TAC named Pasta.
- To address limitations of existing TACs by creating a versatile tool for aging research.
Main Methods:
- Developed Pasta using a novel 'age-shift' learning framework.
- Validated Pasta's predictions across diverse tissues and data types (bulk/single-cell RNA-Seq, microarray).
- Analyzed model coefficients for pathway enrichment (p53, DNA damage response).
Main Results:
- Pasta accurately predicted relative biological age across various human tissues and data types.
- Age scores correlated with cellular states (senescent, stem-like) and cancer characteristics (grade, survival).
- Identified age-modulatory compounds and genetic perturbations, highlighting mitochondrial translation and mRNA splicing roles.
Conclusions:
- Pasta is a versatile and accessible tool for aging research and therapeutic discovery.
- Identified pralatrexate as a senescence inducer and piperlongumine as a rejuvenating agent.
- Established key molecular pathways influencing cellular aging and rejuvenation.
Related Concept Videos
02:19Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation
The biological clock is involved in many aspects of regulating complex physiology in all animals. It was in 1935 when German zoologists, Hans Kalmus and Erwin Bünning, discovered the existence of circadian rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the internal molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock remained a mystery until 1984, when Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young discovered the expression of the Per gene oscillating over a 24-hour cycle. In subsequent years,...
02:19Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation
The biological clock is involved in many aspects of regulating complex physiology in all animals. It was in 1935 when German zoologists, Hans Kalmus and Erwin Bünning, discovered the existence of circadian rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the internal molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock remained a mystery until 1984, when Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young discovered the expression of the Per gene oscillating over a 24-hour cycle. In subsequent years,...
02:45Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses
The circadian—or biological—clock is an intrinsic, timekeeping, molecular mechanism that allows plants to coordinate physiological activities over 24-hour cycles called circadian rhythms. Photoperiodism is a collective term for the biological responses of plants to variations in the relative lengths of dark and light periods. The period of light-exposure is called the photoperiod.
01:26Aging
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
02:15Replicative Cell Senescence
Replicative cell senescence is a property of cells that allows them to divide a finite number of times throughout the organism's lifespan while preventing excessive proliferation. Replicative senescence is associated with the gradual loss of the telomere — short, repetitive DNA sequences found at the end of the chromosomes. Telomeres are bound by a group of proteins to form a protective cap on the ends of chromosomes. Embryonic stem cells express telomerase — an enzyme that adds the telomeric...
02:15Replicative Cell Senescence
Replicative cell senescence is a property of cells that allows them to divide a finite number of times throughout the organism's lifespan while preventing excessive proliferation. Replicative senescence is associated with the gradual loss of the telomere — short, repetitive DNA sequences found at the end of the chromosomes. Telomeres are bound by a group of proteins to form a protective cap on the ends of chromosomes. Embryonic stem cells express telomerase — an enzyme that adds the telomeric...