Centenarians overexpress pluripotency-related genes.

Autores de INCLIVA

• 

  Marta Inglés De La Torre

  Autor

• 

  Cristina Mas Bargues

  Autor

• 

  Consuelo Borras Blasco

  Autor

• 

  Jose Viña Ribes

  Autor

Participantes ajenos a INCLIVA

• Berna-Erro A
• Matheu A
• Sanchís P
• Avellana JA

Grupos y Plataformas de I+D+i

• Grupo de investigación en envejecimiento y ejercicio físico

  

  Leading Researcher

  Jose Viña Ribes

Abstract

Human mesenchymal cells can become pluripotent by the addition of Yamanaka factors OCT3/4, SOX2, c-MYC, KLF4. We have recently reported that centenarians overexpress BCL-xL, which has been shown to improve pluripotency; thus, we aimed to determine the expression of pluripotency-related genes in centenarians. We recruited 22 young, 32 octogenarian, and 47 centenarian individuals and determined the mRNA expression of Yamanaka factors and other stemness-related cell surface marker genes (VIM, BMP4, NCAM, BMPR2) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. We found that centenarians overexpress OCT3/4, SOX2, c-MYC, VIM, BMP4, NCAM, and BMPR2, when compared with octogenarians (p < .05). We further tested the functional role of BCL-xL in centenarians' ability to express pluripotency-related genes: lymphocytes from octogenarians transduced with BCL-xL overexpressed SOX2, c-MYC, and KLF4. We conclude that centenarians overexpress Yamanaka Factors and other stemness-related cell surface marker genes, which may contribute to their successful aging.

© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved

Keywords

• Healthy aging; Longevity; Pluripotency; Stemness