Aging and Aging-associated Diseases: a MicroRNA-based Endocrine Regulation Hypothesis

Overview

Journal Aging (Albany NY)

Specialty Geriatrics

Date 2018 Oct 31

PMID 30375982

Citations 9

Authors

Samuil Umansky

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Although there are numerous hypotheses explaining the nature of aging and associated processes, two concepts are dominant: (i) aging is a result of cell-autonomous processes, such as the accumulation of DNA mutations, aberrant methylations, protein defects, and shortening of telomeres, leading to either inhibition of cellular proliferation and death of non-dividing terminally differentiated cells or tumor development; (ii) aging is a result of a central program that is switched on at a specific stage of organismic development. The microRNA-based endocrine regulation hypothesis combines the two above concepts by proposing central regulation of cell death occurrences via hypothalamus-pituitary gland (PG)-secreted miRNA hormones, the expression and/or secretion of which are regulated by sex hormones. This hypothesis explains such well-known phenomena as inverse comorbidity of either cancer or Alzheimer's (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases; higher AD morbidity and lower frequency of many common types of cancer in women vs. men; higher risk of early AD and lower risk of cancer in subjects with Down syndrome; longer life expectancy in women vs. men and much lower sex-dependent differences, if any, in other mammals; increased lifespans due to hypophysectomy or PG hypofunction; and parabiotic effects of blood or plasma transfusions between young and old animals.

Citing Articles

A Brain Anti-Senescence Transcriptional Program Triggered by Hypothalamic-Derived Exosomal microRNAs.

Krarup J, Araya L, Alvarez F, Borquez D, Urrutia P Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(10).

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Gender Differences and miRNAs Expression in Cancer: Implications on Prognosis and Susceptibility.

Caserta S, Gangemi S, Murdaca G, Allegra A Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(14).

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Analytical Validation of a Novel MicroRNA Panel for Risk Stratification of Cognitive Impairment.

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Editorial: MicroRNAs in endocrinology and cell signaling.

Peng C, Li J Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023; 13:1118426.

PMID: 36601018 PMC: 9806391. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1118426.

MiRNA-145-5p expression and prospective molecular mechanisms in the metastasis of prostate cancer.

Huang Z, Sun Y, Chen G, Dang Y, Lu H, He J IET Syst Biol. 2021; 15(1):1-13.

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