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Changes of serum-induced ornithine decarboxylase activity and putrescine content during aging of IMR-90 human diploid fibroblasts.

The roles of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17) and polyamines in cellular aging were investigated by examining serum-induced changes of these parameters in quiescent IMR-90 human diploid fibroblasts as a function of their population doubling level (PDL) and in human progeria fibroblasts. Serum stimulation caused increases of ODC and DNA synthesis in IMR-90 human diploid fibroblasts, with maximal values occurring, respectively, 10 hr and 22 hr after serum stimulation. Both serum-induced ODC activity and DNA synthesis in IMR-90 cells were found to be inversely related to their PDL. Maximal ODC activity and DNA synthesis in young cells (PDL = approximately 18-22) were, respectively, five-fold and six-fold greater than that in old cells (PDL = approximately 50-55), which in turn were comparable or slightly higher than that in progeria fibroblasts. Polyamine contents (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) in quiescent IMR-90 cells did not show significant PDL-dependency. The putrescine and spermine contents in quiescent progeria cells were comparable to those in quiescent IMR-90 cells. The spermidine content in quiescent progeria cells, however, was extremely low, less than half of that in quiescent IMR-90 cells. Serum stimulation caused a marked increase in putrescine content in young cells but not in old cells or in progeria cells. The spermidine and the spermine content in IMR-90 cells, either young or old, and in progeria cells did not change significantly after serum stimulation. Our study indicated that aging of IMR-90 human diploid fibroblasts was accompanied by specific changes of polyamine metabolism, namely, the serum-induced ODC activity and putrescine accumulation. These changes were also observed in progeria fibroblasts derived from patients with Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome.

Blood↗

High-voltage electron microscopy of human diploid fibroblasts during ageing in vitro. Morphometric analysis of mitochondria.

Since recent studies have suggested a diminished mitochondrial functional capacity in late-passage ('old') compared to early-passage ('young') normal fibroblasts and fibroblasts from the Hutchinson-Gilford (progeria) syndrome of premature ageing, we analysed whole-cell preparations on the high voltage electron microscope to look for mitochondrial and related defects. All strains examined showed considerable heterogeneity in cell size and intracellular morphology. Mitochondria were readily seen in all cells, predominantly as long slender rods with frequent branching, but occasional circular and saccular forms were also evident. Various parameters of mitochondrial mass including mean number, weight, and total length of mitochondria per cell weight tended to increase in old and progeria cells, but only the former attained statistical significance due to the heterogeneity and consequent variance. A significant finding was the decreased width of mitochondria in old and progeria cells. Cystic blebs were evident in mitochondria of some cells with an apparent increase in old and progeria fibroblasts. These blebs appeared to be due to weakening of the inner membrane, allowing dilatation of the outer membrane which otherwise appeared intact. The number of osmiophilic inclusions per cell weight, particularly lipofuscin granules and autophagic vacuoles, was significantly increased in old and progeria cells. In conclusion, despite some morphological changes, mitochondria of old and progeria cells maintain a structurally and bioenergetically adequate mass compatible with continued cellular viability.

Aging↗

Energy metabolism in cultured human fibroblasts during aging in vitro.

To explore the relationship between energy metabolism and the limited replicative life span of cultured human fibroblasts, we studied several bioenergetic parameters in normal fibroblasts at early passage (young cells) and at late passage (old cells) and early passage cells from a subject with the Hutchinson-Gilford (progeria) syndrome. Old cells consumed more glucose and produced more lactate during growth, but O2 consumption, both basal and following maximum uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation by SF-6847, was the same as in young cells. Progeria cells produced the most lactate but did not consume more glucose, while their basal and uncoupled O2 consumption was similar to that of young and old cells during both log and confluent states. Consumption of glutamine, a source of both oxidative energy and lactate, was approximately the same in all three cell types as was 14CO2 production from 2- 14C-pyruvate and 5- 14C-glutamate. ATP and ADP concentrations were similar in all cell types with a rise in the ATP/ADP ratio during growth from log to confluent state. Thus, old and progeria cells, in contrast to young cells, produce more lactate during growth consistent with a rise in energy demand and/or inefficiency of oxidative phosphorylation. Although limitations in total energy output do not appear to be causal to the loss of replicative capacity in normal cells after serial passage, they could play a role in the curtailed replicative capacity of progeria cells.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Abnormal gene expression in skin fibroblasts from a Hutchinson-Gilford patient.

We had the opportunity to investigate a new case of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria, a rare disease commonly regarded as a model in the study of aging. Two strains of fibroblasts (strains 1 and 2) were derived from two pieces of a skin biopsy. These two populations multiplied as normal cells at low population doubling level but senesced rapidly and stopped proliferating after 14 or 15 population doubling levels. Interestingly, an unusual pattern of growth in clusters was observed for strain 1. The level of collagen and noncollagen protein synthesis of both strains of affected fibroblasts was similar to that of normal fibroblasts as determined by [3H]proline incorporation measurement and was similarly affected by varying serum concentrations. The pattern of the main types of newly synthesized collagen polypeptides analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was similar in normal and progeria cells. The steady-state level of mRNAs coding for macromolecules of the extracellular matrix did not provide any differences between affected and control fibroblasts except for a strong increase of elastin and of alpha 1 and alpha 2 type IV procollagen mRNA mainly in strain 1 and less marked in strain 2. Interestingly, senescent progeria fibroblasts exhibited a reduced level of all the tested mRNAs, whereas collagen type IV and elastin mRNAs remained elevated. As suggested by immunofluorescence and immunoblotting studies, the increased amount of type IV mRNAs was paralleled by an enhanced production of type IV collagen by fibroblasts in vitro. Histologic examination of the skin revealed a superabundant network of abnormal elastic fibers in the reticular dermis and a thickening of basement membranes. The relationship between these alterations and aging in progeria is discussed.

Child↗

Decreased proteolysis and increased amino acid efflux in aging human fibroblasts.

The release of radioactivity was measured following variable times of dual labeling of normal human fibroblasts at early and late passage and late-passage cell strains derived from the progeria and Werner's syndrome of premature aging. In the rapid first phase to 20 min, all 3 late-passage (aged) cells released more acid-soluble radioactivity into the medium than early-passage normal cells in the order Werner's greater than progeria greater than late-passage normal greater than early-passage normal, virtually all of this radioactivity emanating from intracellular material that was acid-soluble after prelabeling (zero time). In the slower second phase from 20 min to 3 h, all 4 cell types showed approximately parallel profiles of release. Following preloading with the non-utilizable amino acid alpha-amino[14C] isobutyric acid, progeria and Werner's cells released radioactivity more rapidly than did early- and late-passage normal cells in that order. In contrast, direct measurements on the net loss of counts from acid-insoluble material, i.e. true proteolysis, revealed that all 3 aged cells degraded proteins of short half-life more slowly but proteins of long half-life were degraded at the same rate as those of young normal cells. The results indicate that aged cells have a reduced proteolytic capacity and increased amino acid efflux. The latter process is probably due to the higher proportion of labeled amino acids in the cell water of aged cells at zero time and possibly increased membrane leakiness. The reason for the decreased proteolysis is not clear but it may relate to the rising proportion of defective proteins, the increased protein content and the loss of replicative capacity in aging cells.

Aging↗

Reduction of unscheduled DNA synthesis and plasminogen activator activity in Hutchinson-Gilford fibroblasts during passaging in vitro: partial correction by interferon-beta.

Two fibroblast cell lines (PG3KT and PG1NA) derived from Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome (progeria) cases were characterized, at various population doubling levels (PDL), with respect to the capacity of ultraviolet light (UV, mainly 254 nm wavelength)-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) and plasminogen activator-like protease activity (PA). The UDS levels in PG3KT and PG1NA cells at PDL 2-3 were only slightly less than those in normal fibroblasts. With increasing PDL, both progeria cell lines exhibited reduction of the UDS levels and undetectable ones at PDL 9-11. Prompt and transient induction of PA was also detectable at less than PDL 5, whereas it was undectable at higher PDL. However, the levels of UDS and PA induction were increased about 3-7 times after pretreatment with 100 IU/ml human interferon (HuIFN)-beta preparations for more than 24 h prior to UV irradiation, although UDS and PA were undetectable at more than PDL 10. These results suggest that cytokines such as HuIFN-beta transiently compensate for the decreases in UDS and PA inducibility in progeria cells with aging.

Cell Division↗

Novel progerin-interactive partner proteins hnRNP E1, EGF, Mel 18, and UBC9 interact with lamin A/C.

The Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS or progeria) is an apparent accelerated aging disorder of childhood. Recently, HGPS has been characterized as one of a growing group of disorders known as laminopathies, which result from genetic defects of the lamin A/C (LMNA) gene. The majority of HGPS mutant alleles involve a silent mutation, c.2063C>T resulting in G608G, that generates a cryptic splicing site in exon 11 of LMNA and consequently truncates 50 amino acids near the C-terminus of pre-lamin A/C. To explore possible mechanisms underlying the development of HGPS, we began a search for proteins that would uniquely interact with progerin (the truncated lamin A in HGPS) using a yeast two-hybrid system. Four new progerin interactive partner proteins were identified that had not been previously found to interact with lamin A/C: hnRNP E1, UBC9 (ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2I), Mel-18, and EGF1. However, using control and progeria fibroblasts, co-immunoprecipitation studies of endogenous proteins did not show differential binding affinity compared to normal lamin A/C. Thus, we did not find evidence for uniquely interacting partner proteins using this approach, but did identify four new lamin A/C interactive partners.

Cell Nucleus↗

A progeroid syndrome in mice is caused by defects in A-type lamins.

Numerous studies of the underlying causes of ageing have been attempted by examining diseases associated with premature ageing, such as Werner's syndrome and Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS). HGPS is a rare genetic disorder resulting in phenotypes suggestive of accelerated ageing, including shortened stature, craniofacial disproportion, very thin skin, alopecia and osteoporosis, with death in the early teens predominantly due to atherosclerosis. However, recent reports suggest that developmental abnormalities may also be important in HGPS. Here we describe the derivation of mice carrying an autosomal recessive mutation in the lamin A gene (Lmna) encoding A-type lamins, major components of the nuclear lamina. Homozygous mice display defects consistent with HGPS, including a marked reduction in growth rate and death by 4 weeks of age. Pathologies in bone, muscle and skin are also consistent with progeria. The Lmna mutation resulted in nuclear morphology defects and decreased lifespan of homozygous fibroblasts, suggesting premature cell death. Here we present a mouse model for progeria that may elucidate mechanisms of ageing and development in certain tissue types, especially those developing from the mesenchymal cell lineage.

Aging↗

Pathological implications of cell aging in vitro.

The replicative capacity of cultured human fibroblasts is discussed in relation to three areas, diabetes mellitus, expression of HL-A antigens, and interactions with polymerizing fibrin. The replicative capacity of cells is dimished in diabetes mellitus and certain related disorders such as progeria and Werner's syndrome, all of which feature accelerated aging. Expression of HL-A antigens is reduced in progeria fibroblasts compared to normal cultures at corresponding stages of passage. Normal cells show more subtle alteration during aging in vitro probably related to clonal heterogeneity and/or selection within mass cultures. Early-passage fibroblasts interact rapidly with polymerizing fibrin to form a mature clot which is then retracted by a process dependent on cellular integrity and active metabolism. Late-passage cultures are less active in both parameters as are fibroblasts from a subject with progeria. These observations, in total, may relate to altered self-recognition and certain autoimmune concomitants of aging in vivo. They may also help to explain impaired wound healing and increased predisposition to atherothrombosis in aging and diabetic individuals. This system of cultured human fibroblasts should serve as an excellent model to investigate the cellular and molecular basis of diabetes mellitus, aging and related pathology.

Adolescent↗

LMNA mutations in progeroid syndromes.

Segmental progeroid syndromes are disorders in which affected individuals. present various features that suggest accelerated ageing. The two best-known examples are Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS, 'Progeria of childhood') and Werner syndrome (WS, 'Progeria of the adult'). A novel, recurrent de novo mutation in the LMNA gene, responsible for the majority of HGPS cases, results in an in-frame deletion of 50 amino acids, including endoproteolytic sites required for processing of prelamin A to mature lamin A protein. Another mutation results in a 35 amino acid in-frame deletion with a milder HGPS phenotype. WRN, the gene responsible for the majority of WS cases, encodes a multifunctional nuclear protein with exonuclease and helicase activities and may participate in optimizing DNA repair/recombination. A subset of WS patients do not show mutations at the WRN locus (atypical WS), but show heterozygous amino acid substitutions in the heptad repeat region of lamin A. Structural analysis suggests that mutations in atypical WS may interfere with protein-protein interactions. When compared to WRN-mutant WS, LMNA-mutant atypical WS patients appear to show earlier onset and possibly more severe ageing-related symptoms.

Animals↗

In vitro studies of age-associated diseases.

We have carried out studies on cultured human fibroblasts in an attempt to trace the origins of age-dependent disorders to the cellular and molecular levels. Three interrelated areas are discussed. First, skin donors with diabetes mellitus (a disease complex that features inappropriate hyperglycemia) produce cultured fibroblasts with a moderate reduction in growth capacity, while two inherited disorders of inappropriate hyperglycemia and premature aging, progeria and Werner syndrome, yield fibroblast cultures with more severely impaired growth capacity. Second, there is a decreased response of progeria level and donor age; evidence is presented that this defective hormone responsiveness in aging cells may reside at the hormone receptor on the surface membrane, the cyclic AMP system, the intracellular enzymatic machinery, or all of these sites. Third, tissue factor, a procoagulant that activates the extrinsic clotting mechanism, is more abundant in cells from the premature aging syndromes of progeria and Werner syndrome. Fibroblast aging in vitro may help to explain various concomitants of normal aging and diabetes mellitus including cell dropout, impairment of hormone responsiveness, and increased atherothrombosis.

Aging↗

Prelamin A and lamin A appear to be dispensable in the nuclear lamina.

Lamin A and lamin C, both products of Lmna, are key components of the nuclear lamina. In the mouse, a deficiency in both lamin A and lamin C leads to slow growth, muscle weakness, and death by 6 weeks of age. Fibroblasts deficient in lamins A and C contain misshapen and structurally weakened nuclei, and emerin is mislocalized away from the nuclear envelope. The physiologic rationale for the existence of the 2 different Lmna products lamin A and lamin C is unclear, although several reports have suggested that lamin A may have particularly important functions, for example in the targeting of emerin and lamin C to the nuclear envelope. Here we report the development of lamin C-only mice (Lmna(LCO/LCO)), which produce lamin C but no lamin A or prelamin A (the precursor to lamin A). Lmna(LCO/LCO) mice were entirely healthy, and Lmna(LCO/LCO) cells displayed normal emerin targeting and exhibited only very minimal alterations in nuclear shape and nuclear deformability. Thus, at least in the mouse, prelamin A and lamin A appear to be dispensable. Nevertheless, an accumulation of farnesyl-prelamin A (as occurs with a deficiency in the prelamin A processing enzyme Zmpste24) caused dramatically misshapen nuclei and progeria-like disease phenotypes. The apparent dispensability of prelamin A suggested that lamin A-related progeroid syndromes might be treated with impunity by reducing prelamin A synthesis. Remarkably, the presence of a single Lmna(LCO) allele eliminated the nuclear shape abnormalities and progeria-like disease phenotypes in Zmpste24-/- mice. Moreover, treating Zmpste24-/- cells with a prelamin A-specific antisense oligonucleotide reduced prelamin A levels and significantly reduced the frequency of misshapen nuclei. These studies suggest a new therapeutic strategy for treating progeria and other lamin A diseases.

Animals↗

Nucleotide excision repair disorders and the balance between cancer and aging.

Cancer incidence increases with age and is driven by accumulation of mutations in the DNA. In many so-called premature aging disorders, cancer appears earlier and at elevated rates. These diseases are predominantly caused by genome instability and present with symptoms, including cancer, resembling "segments" of aging and are thus often referred to as "segmental progerias". Two related segmental progerias, Cockayne syndrome (CS) and trichothiodystrophy (TTD), don't fit this pattern. Although caused by defects in genome maintenance via the nucleotide excision DNA repair (NER) pathway and displaying severe progeroid symptoms, CS and TTD patients appear to lack any cancer predisposition. More strikingly, genetic defects in the same NER pathway, and in some cases even within the same gene, XPD, can also give rise to disorders with greatly elevated cancer rates but without progeria (xeroderma pigmentosum). In this review, we will discuss the connection between genome maintenance, aging and cancer in light of a new mouse model of XPD disease.

Aging↗

Altered splicing in prelamin A-associated premature aging phenotypes.

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria (HGPS), a rare and severe developmental disorder characterized by features recalling premature aging, and restrictive dermopathy (RD), a neonatal lethal genodermatosis, have recently been identified as being primary or secondary "laminopathies." These are heterogeneous disorders due to altered function of lamins A/C or related proteins. In physiological conditions, mature lamin A is obtained through a series of post-translational processing steps performed on a protein precursor, prelamin A. The major pathophysiological mechanism involved in progeria is an aberrant splicing of pre-mRNAs issued from the LMNA gene, due to a de novo heterozygous point mutation, leading to the production and accumulation of truncated lamin A precursors. Aberrant splicing of prelamin A pre-mRNAs causing the production of more extensively truncated precursors is involved in the allelic disease restrictive dermopathy. Other restrictive dermopathy cases are due to the inactivation of a key enzyme involved in the maturation of lamin A precursors (ZMPSTE24). In functional terms, all these conditions share the same pathophysiological basis: intranuclear accumulation of lamin A precursors, which cannot be fully processed (due to primary or secondary events) and exert toxic, dominant negative effects on nuclear homeostasis. Most other laminopathies are due to autosomal dominant LMNA point mutations inferred to cause single amino acid substitutions. In any case, the impact of these mutations on pre-mRNA splicing has rarely been assessed. These disorders affect different tissues and organs, mainly including bone, skin, striated muscles, adipose tissue, vessels, and peripheral nerves in isolated or combined fashions, giving rise to syndromes whose severity ranges from mild to perinatally lethal. In this chapter we review the structure and functions of lamins A/C in physiological and pathological conditions, describe their known or putative roles, namely, in the pathogenesis of HGPS and RD in relation to existing animal models, and envisage possible targeted therapeutic strategies on the basis of recent research results.

Aging, Premature↗

Differential expression of metalloproteinase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase genes in aged human fibroblasts.

The basal levels of mRNAs encoding two metalloproteinases, collagenase and stromelysin, were increased as a function of in vitro serial subcultivation (cellular aging) of human fibroblasts. Procollagenase and prostromelysin synthesis and secretion were also greater in the old cultures (late passage). In contrast, the steady-state expression of mRNA for an inhibitor of metalloproteinases, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), in late-passage cultures was lower than that in young cell cultures (early passage). Each mRNA was analyzed using total RNA preparations isolated from normal fibroblast cultures at different phases of the in vitro life span and from cultures derived from donors with the premature senescence syndromes characterized as Werner syndrome, progeria (Hutchinson-Gilford) syndrome, or Cockayne syndrome. In normal cell cultures expression of metalloproteinase mRNAs was increased after the culture had completed greater than 90% of the in vitro life span, and the reduction in TIMP-1 mRNA expression occurred after the culture had completed greater than 74% of the in vitro lifespan. In Werner syndrome cultures expression of metalloproteinase and TIMP-1 mRNAs was similar to the level of expression observed in late-passage cell cultures. Levels of metalloproteinase and TIMP-1 mRNA expression in progeria and Cockayne syndromes were similar to those of early-passage cell cultures. To determine if young and old cells were each responsive to mediators of metalloproteinase synthesis, cultures were treated with phorbol ester or cytokines. 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate treatment increased the steady-state levels of all three mRNAs in young, old, and Werner syndrome cultures and increased procollagenase levels in all cultures. Early- and late-passage cell cultures also responded to cytokines. Interleukin-1 alpha treatment increased collagenase and stromelysin mRNA levels while transforming growth factor-beta reduced the steady-state levels of both transcripts. Neither cytokine affected the steady-state level of TIMP-1 mRNA. The results indicate that in vitro cellular aging is associated with changes in expression of mRNAs encoding proteins that mediate inflammatory responses and connective tissue remodeling.

Aging↗

Some aspects of cellular aging.

Studies were carried out on cultured human fibroblasts in order to elucidate the biology of aging and the origins of age-dependent diseases. The replicative life span of cultures was inversely proportional to the chronological age of the tissue donor, and cultures derived from subjects with two inherited disorders of premature aging, progeria and Werner syndrome, had more severely impaired growth capacity. Studies on circular outgrowths whereby cell division is restricted to a circumferential rim of cells indicated that the replicative life span is controlled by a mitotic counter to a critical limit. The response of progeria cells to a hormone preparation with insulin-like activity was decreased, while in normal cells this decrease occurred as a function of passage level with a "shift to the right" of the dose-response curve. Cyclic AMP content of fibroblasts at late passage fell in response to PGE1 stimulation but rose in response to epinephrine, likely due to altered expression of genes for the receptors for each of these two hormones. This system of cultured human fibroblasts is useful in explaining various concomitants of biological aging including decreased tissue cellularity and impaired hormone and drug responsiveness.

Aging↗

Sister chromatid exchange and proliferation pattern in lymphocytes from newborns, elderly subjects and in premature aging syndromes.

Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency and cell proliferation were examined in lymphocyte cultures from a group of newborns, a group of elderly subjects and from patients with syndromes who exhibit progeriform characteristics (progeria, Cockayne syndrome, Rothmund-Thomson syndrome and Christ-Siemens-Touraine syndrome) by using the bromodeoxyuridine incorporation differential staining technique. We observed a significantly increase in basal SCE frequency and a less intensive cell proliferation in cultures from elderly subjects than from newborns, as shown by the significant increase in percentage of cells in first generation simultaneous with a reduction of cells in more advanced generations. Lymphocyte cultures from each one of the patients studied also showed a decreased cell proliferation in relation to their respective control and to newborn cultures. Each of these syndromes showed higher baseline SCE levels than the control and than the newborn and elderly groups. Only the patient with progeria showed values similar to those for the elderly group. Thus, in addition to showing clinical characteristics similar to those observed during the normal aging process, these progeriform syndromes also show cytogenetic characteristics similar to those of older individuals.

Aged↗

Insulin receptor gene expression is reduced in cells from a progeric patient.

We have studied a 15-year-old girl (P1) suffering from the Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome (progeria) associated with a severe insulin resistance. Insulin binding activity to P1 erythrocytes was 85% reduced when compared to that measured in ten normal controls matched for sex and age. This finding was confirmed in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed lymphoblasts and depends on a reduction in insulin receptor number. Also the amount of total insulin receptors, [35S]methionine labeled and immunoprecipitated, was 90% reduced in P1 lymphoblasts when compared to controls. Next, we measured insulin receptor mRNA levels and we found undetectable levels of insulin receptor transcript in P1 EBV-transformed lymphoblasts, in the absence of any rearrangement of insulin receptor gene as evaluated by Southern blot analysis. The marked reduction in insulin receptor gene expression probably accounts for the severe insulin resistance presented by the patient. Despite extensive studies, the molecular basis of progeria is still unknown. The near complete absence of a molecule crucial in the transduction of cell growth and differentiation signals could be involved in the accelerated aging of the patient.

Adolescent↗