Unraveling Aging's Secrets: Chinese Scientists Reveal the Role of Immunoglobulins

Beijing, Nov. 4, 2024 - A groundbreaking study published today in the prestigious journal Cell by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and BGI Research has potentially transformed our understanding of the aging process. The study introduces a novel perspective on aging by detailing how immunoglobulins, typically associated with immune response, play a complex role in systemic aging.

The research, a collaborative effort involving multiple teams from CAS and BGI, meticulously mapped the aging process across nine organs in male mice using high-precision spatial transcriptomics. This approach resulted in what the researchers call "Gerontological Geography (GG)," a detailed landscape showing the spatial distribution of over 70 cell types and highlighting the universal signs of aging like tissue structural disorder and loss of cellular identity.

Professor Liu Guanghui, one of the study's corresponding authors, emphasized the significance of their findings: "This landscape is a significant step forward, pinpointing the epicenters of aging within multiple organs and uncovering the accumulation of immunoglobulins as a key aging characteristic and driver."

The study introduced the concept of Organizational Structure Entropy (OSE) analysis, revealing that increased spatial disorder and loss of cellular identity are common across aging tissues. Additionally, the researchers identified 'senescence-sensitive spots' (SSS) in various tissues, areas more vulnerable to the effects of aging, where immunoglobulin levels, particularly immunoglobulin G (IgG), were found to be elevated.

Intriguingly, the study showed that IgG not only accumulates in aging tissues but also directly induces aging in immune cells, releasing inflammatory factors. This was confirmed by experiments where young mice injected with IgG exhibited accelerated aging signs across multiple organs.

In a promising turn, the team developed an intervention strategy using antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) to reduce IgG levels in mouse tissues, which successfully delayed aging in multiple organs.

This research marks the first comprehensive spatial transcriptome map of aging across mammalian organs, highlighting immunoglobulins' dual role in the aging process. The proposed Immunoglobulin-associated Senescence Phenotype (IASP) could pave the way for new strategies in delaying aging and preventing age-related diseases.

The study's implications are profound, suggesting that controlling or reducing IgG levels could be a new frontier in aging research, potentially leading to innovative treatments to extend healthy lifespans.

For more details, the study can be accessed at Cell with the DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.019.

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