Enhanced branched-chain amino acid metabolism improves age-related reproduction in C. elegans.

Reproductive ageing is one of the earliest human ageing phenotypes, and mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to oocyte quality decline; however, it is not known which mitochondrial metabolic processes are critical for oocyte quality maintenance with age. To understand how mitochondrial processes contribute to Caenorhabditis elegans oocyte quality, we characterized the mitochondrial proteomes of young and aged wild-type and long-reproductive daf-2 mutants. Here we show that the mitochondrial proteomic profiles of young wild-type and daf-2 worms are similar and share upregulation of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism pathway enzymes.

Enhanced Branched-Chain Amino Acid Metabolism Improves Age-Related Reproduction in .

Reproductive aging is one of the earliest human aging phenotypes, and mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to oocyte quality decline. However, it is not known which mitochondrial metabolic processes are critical for oocyte quality maintenance with age. To understand how mitochondrial processes contribute to oocyte quality, we characterized the mitochondrial proteomes of young and aged wild-type and long-reproductive mutants.

Cellular senescence and developmental defects.

Cellular senescence is a distinct state that is frequently induced in response to ageing and stress. Yet studies have also uncovered beneficial functions in development, repair and regeneration. Current opinion therefore suggests that timely and controlled induction of senescence can be beneficial, while misregulation of the senescence program, either through mis-timed activation, or chronic accumulation of senescent cells, contributes to many disease states and the ageing process.

Aberrant induction of p19Arf-mediated cellular senescence contributes to neurodevelopmental defects.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a widely prescribed drug to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and migraine. If taken during pregnancy, however, exposure to the developing embryo can cause birth defects, cognitive impairment, and autism spectrum disorder. How VPA causes these developmental defects remains unknown.