iScience: A new method can determine which genes are associated with the aging process

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new method to determine which genes are associated
with the aging process.
The study was conducted on an animal species widely used as a model for genetic and biological research, but the discovery has broader applications
in the study of the genetics of aging.

"There are a lot of genes that we don't yet know what they do, especially when it comes to aging," said Adriana San Miguel, corresponding author of a paper on the work and assistant professor
of chemical and biomolecular engineering at North Carolina State University.
"That's because the field faces a very specific technical challenge: When you know if an organism will live a long time, it's too old to reproduce
.
" But the technology we use to study genes requires us to work with animals that are capable of reproducing so that we can study the role of
specific genes in future generations.

"To accelerate research in this area, we wanted to find a way to identify genes
that may be involved in aging when an organism is young enough.
"

In this work, the researchers focused on a species called Caenorhabditis elegans which is one of the
most important model species in genetic and aging studies.
Specifically, the researchers focused on protein aggregation in cells, which is associated with
aging.

Here's how the new method of identifying genes associated with aging works
.

First, the researchers exposed thousands of C.
elegans, a chemical
that triggers random genetic mutations.
The researchers then used an autonomous, high-throughput system that allowed them to identify which roundworms had high levels of protein aggregation in their cells without harming them, but they were still young enough to reproduce
.
Roundworms with higher levels of protein aggregation have a shorter life expectancy and then separate them from other roundworms using an automated microfluidic system to observe their lifespan
.

Once the roundworms died, the researchers established data on protein aggregation and lifespan for
each roundworm.
Roundworms with the highest protein aggregation and shortest lifespan can be prioritized for research because their mutations are increasingly likely to affect their aging
.
Researchers can then sequence
the DNA of these roundworms.

"Once we have the genomic data, we can identify the genetic mutation Caenorhabditis elegans San Miguel said
.
" Protein aggregation and lifespan data allow us to assess which mutations may be most relevant to
aging.
This allows us to focus future research on these genes
.
”

In proof-of-concept tests, the researchers chose to sequence
the genomes of roundworms with the highest levels of protein aggregation in the sample.
They found that it had a mutation in a gene that had not previously been identified as having anything to do
with aging.

"The next step is to do more research on this gene," San Miguel said
.
"Does it work during aging?" If yes, what is this role?

"What's more, we think the technique we present in this paper can be used by others in the research community to help identify genes of interest and hopefully accelerate research
into the genetics of aging.
" We are more than willing to collaborate with
other researchers interested in this field.
”