This press release contains:
Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Ageing: Keeping old mice young at heart
Stem cells: Bolstering bone density
And finally… Wheat can’t stand the heat
• Geographical listing of authors
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[1] Ageing: Keeping old mice young at heart
DOI: 10.1038/srep00070
The synthetic compound SRT1720 can potentially increase the lifespan and improve the health of adult mice fed a high-fat diet, suggests a paper published online in Scientific Reports.
It is thought that being overweight or obese may accelerate the ageing process by promoting inflammation and by suppressing the expressions of genes associated with longevity, such as Sirt1. Previous studies have suggested that the synthetic compound SRT1720 can activate Sirt1 in cell cultures and — in short-term studies — in obese rats and mice. Rafael de Cabo and colleagues show that adult mice fed a high-fat diet and treated with SRT1720 experience increased mean and maximum life spans. After more than 80 weeks of treatment with the compound, the mice were shown to have a gene expression profile similar to mice on a lean diet, and benefitted from improved metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and liver and pancreas function.
There is ongoing debate as to whether SRT1720 activates Sirt1 directly and the authors cannot be certain whether the effects on lifespan and health shown in the present study result from direct or indirect Sirt1 activation by the compound. However, the research does indicate that long-term treatment of obese mice with SRT1720 allows them to life longer, healthier lives. Further research will be needed in order to one day translate these findings to clinical practice for improving lifespan and health in humans.
CONTACT
Rafael de Cabo (National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA)
Tel: +1 410 558 8510; E-mail: [email protected]
Please link to the freely available scientific paper in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends):
www.nature.com/srep/2011/110818/srep00070/full/srep00070.html
[2] Stem cells: Bolstering bone density
DOI: 10.1038/srep00067
Transplanting mesenchymal stem cells from young mice can slow the loss of bone density in ageing mice, reports a study published online in Scientific Reports.
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and deteriorating bone structure, leading to an increased risk of fractures. Previous research has suggested that the loss of functional stem cells may be important to the ageing process but the link between ageing and osteoporosis is not fully understood.
Liping Tang and colleagues transplanted bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) from aged or young mouse donors into aged female mice. They found that transplanting cells from young animals restored bone microstructure and density in aged mice, whereas BMSCs from old donors had no such effect. This suggests that young BMSCs can differentiate into a variety of cells, including osteoblasts, whereas old BMSCs may somehow lose this capacity.
Furthermore, recipients of BMSCs from young animals had significantly increased life spans, although it remains unclear how administering BMSCs from young donors leads to increased longevity. The authors speculate that the transplanted young BMSCs may enhance cell or tissue regeneration, thereby slowing down the ageing process.
CONTACT
Liping Tang (University of Texas, Arlington, TX, USA)
Tel: +1 817 272 6075; E-mail: [email protected]
Please link to the freely available scientific paper in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends):
www.nature.com/srep/2011/110818/srep00067/full/srep00067.html
[3] And finally… Wheat can’t stand the heat
DOI: 10.1038/srep00066
Heat stress during flowering (anthesis) may have a bigger impact on wheat yield in Europe than drought, suggests a modelling study published in Scientific Reports. The work highlights the need for crop scientists and breeders to prioritise the development of wheat varieties that are resistant to high temperature around flowering.
Wheat is an important crop in temperate regions, including Europe, and is the staple food for millions of humans and their livestock. New varieties of wheat will need to be cultivated to cope with a changing climate characterized by increased summer drought and heat stress in Europe. But the uncertainty in climate predictions means crop scientists and breeders with limited time and resources must focus on the most important traits for improvement.
Mikhail Semenov and Peter Shewry used a wheat simulation model combined with local-scale climate models to predict the impacts of climate change on European winter wheat yield. Drought has been considered to be the most significant environmental stress in agriculture world-wide. But the new analysis indicates that a more serious threat for wheat production in Europe may result from an increase in the frequency and magnitude of heat stress around flowering, which could potentially lead to significant yield losses for heat-sensitive wheat varieties commonly grown in northern Europe.
CONTACT
Mikhail Semenov (Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK)
Tel: +44 1582 763 133; E-mail: [email protected]
Please link to the freely available scientific paper in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends):
www.nature.com/srep/2011/110818/srep00066/full/srep00066.html
GEOGRAPHICAL LISTING OF AUTHORS…
The following list of places refers to the whereabouts of authors on the papers numbered in this release. For example, London: 4 - this means that on paper number four, there will be at least one author affiliated to an institute or company in London. The listing may be for an author's main affiliation, or for a place where they are working temporarily. Please see the PDF of the paper for full details.
SWITZERLAND
Lausanne: 1
UNITED KINGDOM
Harpenden: 3
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
District of Columbia
Washington: 1
Kentucky
Lexington: 1
Maryland
Baltimore: 1
Massachusetts
Boston: 1
Cambridge: 1
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City: 1
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 1
Texas
Arlington: 2
Dallas: 2
Denton: 2
PRESS CONTACTS…
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Tel: +81 3 3267 8751; E-mail: [email protected]
From the UK
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Tel: +44 20 7843 4502; E-mail: [email protected]
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