Arabidopsis metacaspase MC1 localizes in stress granules, clears protein aggregates, and delays senescence.

Stress granules (SGs) are highly conserved cytoplasmic condensates that assemble in response to stress and contribute to maintaining protein homeostasis. These membraneless organelles are dynamic, disassembling once the stress is no longer present. Persistence of SGs due to mutations or chronic stress has been often related to age-dependent protein-misfolding diseases in animals.

Prebiotic supplementation modulates selective effects of stress on behavior and brain metabolome in aged mice.

Aging has a significant impact on physiology with implications for central nervous system function coincident with increased vulnerability to stress exposures. A number of stress-sensitive molecular mechanisms are hypothesized to underpin age-related changes in brain function. Recent cumulative evidence also suggests that aging impacts gut microbiota composition.