mRNA level of alpha-2-macroglobulin as an aging biomarker of human fibroblasts in culture

Cellular senescence is a well-established model system for studying the molecular basis of aging. To identify a reliable biomarker for cellular age and further study the gene expression of aging, we profiled the gene expression difference between aged and young cultured human embryonic lung fibrobla...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental gerontology 2004-03, Vol.39 (3), p.415-421
Main Authors: Ma, Hong, Li, Renzhong, Zhang, Zongyu, Tong, Tanjun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alpha-2-macroglobulin
alpha-Macroglobulins - genetics
Alzheimer's disease
Biomarker
Biomarkers - analysis
Blotting, Northern - methods
cDNA array
Cell Line
Cellular aging
Cellular Senescence - physiology
Female
Fibroblasts
Fibroblasts - physiology
Gene expression
Gene Expression Profiling
Humans
In vitro
Leukocytes - metabolism
Lung - embryology
Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
Population doubling
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Messenger - analysis
RT-PCR
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Summary:Cellular senescence is a well-established model system for studying the molecular basis of aging. To identify a reliable biomarker for cellular age and further study the gene expression of aging, we profiled the gene expression difference between aged and young cultured human embryonic lung fibroblasts by high-density complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) arrays. Among the differentially expressed genes, alpha-2-macroglobulin (α 2M) was selected for further study. Its gene expression level as a function of population doubling level (PDL) in cultured fibroblasts was determined by RT-PCR and northern hybridization. mRNA level of α 2M showed a positive linear-correlation with cumulative PDL. Additional assays revealed that the levels of α 2M increased in irreversible growth arrest induced by sublethal H 2O 2, but not in quiescent state of cultured fibroblasts induced by serum-deprivation, and remained stable in Hela cells. These results suggest that mRNA level of α 2M can be used as a biomarker of aging in cultured fibroblasts. mRNA level of α 2M showed significant difference between newborn and old human leucocytes, which suggest that the mRNA level of α 2M may be used as a biomarker of aging in vivo.
ISSN:0531-5565
1873-6815
DOI:10.1016/j.exger.2003.11.012