Publications by authors named "Eun Ji E Kim"
Article Synopsis
- - Aging affects gene expression differently, with two main types: chronological (actual time lived) and physiological (biological condition), both presenting challenges in analysis due to their complexity.
- - Research indicates that as people age chronologically, there is an increase in noncoding RNAs and certain transcript elements, while physiological aging leads to a decrease in mRNAs linked to various biological functions.
- - An important finding is the age-related rise in using distal 3' splice sites in mRNA as a potential biomarker for physiological aging, which may help differentiate between the two aging types at the transcriptomic level.
The Golgi apparatus plays a central role in trafficking cargoes such as proteins and lipids. Defects in the Golgi apparatus lead to various diseases, but its role in organismal longevity is largely unknown. Using a quantitative proteomic approach, we found that a Golgi protein, MON-2, was up-regulated in long-lived mutants with mitochondrial respiration defects and was required for their longevity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFY RNA is a conserved small non-coding RNA whose functions in aging remain unknown. Here, we sought to determine the role of Y RNA homologs, CeY RNA (CeY) and stem-bulge RNAs (sbRNAs), in aging. We found that the levels of CeY and sbRNAs generally increased during aging.
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- - Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a cellular process that helps maintain RNA quality by removing faulty mRNA, which supports longevity in organisms.
- - Researchers identified key factors influencing NMD, finding that deactivating certain proteins led to an increase in faulty mRNA levels, suggesting a link to lifespan.
- - Specifically, the protein ALGN-2 was shown to decrease with age and was necessary for extending lifespan, particularly when insulin/IGF-1 signaling was inhibited, highlighting NMD's role in longevity.
Excessive glucose causes various diseases and decreases lifespan by altering metabolic processes, but underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that Lipin 1/LPIN-1, a phosphatidic acid phosphatase and a putative transcriptional coregulator, prevents life-shortening effects of dietary glucose on Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that depletion of lpin-1 decreased overall lipid levels, despite increasing the expression of genes that promote fat synthesis and desaturation, and downregulation of lipolysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPDZ domain-containing proteins (PDZ proteins) act as scaffolds for protein-protein interactions and are crucial for a variety of signal transduction processes. However, the role of PDZ proteins in organismal lifespan and aging remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that KIN-4, a PDZ domain-containing microtubule-associated serine-threonine (MAST) protein kinase, is a key longevity factor acting through binding PTEN phosphatase in Caenorhabditis elegans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCaenorhabditis elegans is an exceptionally valuable model for aging research because of many advantages, including its genetic tractability, short lifespan, and clear age-dependent physiological changes. Aged C. elegans display a decline in their anatomical and functional features, including tissue integrity, motility, learning and memory, and immunity.
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- Mitochondria are vital for producing energy and metabolites, but they also play significant roles in regulating the immune system against infections.
- Recent findings highlight various mitochondrial processes, such as mitochondrial surveillance, the unfolded protein response (UPRmt), and mitophagy, that enhance immune responses in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans.
- Insights gained from studying C. elegans could help us understand similar mitochondrial defense mechanisms in more complex organisms, including mammals.