Aging time course

Transcriptional Profile of Aging in C. elegans Whole-genome analysis of gene expression during chronological aging of the worm provides a rich database of age-specific changes in gene expression and represents one way to distinguish among these models. Using a rigorous statistical model with multiple replicates, we find that a relatively small number of genes (only 164) show statistically significant changes in transcript levels as aging occurs (<1% of the genome). Expression of heat shock proteins decreases, while expression of certain transposases increases in older worms, and these findings are consistent with a higher mortality risk due to a failure in homeostenosis and destabilization of the genome in older animals. Finally, a specific subset of genes is coordinately altered both during chronological aging and in the transition from the reproductive form to the dauer, demonstrating a mechanistic overlap in aging between these two processes. Groups of assays that are related as part of a time series. Age: Age of organism Keywords: time_series_design秀丽隐杆线虫（C. elegans）衰老转录组谱：本研究通过对该线虫时序衰老过程中的基因表达开展全基因组分析，构建了涵盖衰老特异性基因表达变化的丰富数据库，同时为区分各类衰老模型提供了有效研究手段。采用包含多重生物学重复的严格统计模型进行分析后，我们发现仅164个基因（占基因组比例不足1%）的转录本水平在衰老进程中发生具有统计学显著性的变化。老年线虫的热休克蛋白（heat shock protein）表达水平显著下调，而部分转座酶（transposases）的表达则明显上调；该结果与老年动物因体内稳态维持失败及基因组不稳定导致的死亡风险升高相符。最后，有一类特定基因子集在时序衰老过程以及从生殖型向持久态（dauer）幼虫的转变过程中均发生协同表达改变，表明这两类衰老相关过程之间存在分子机制上的重叠。本数据集采用时间序列相关的多组检测方案，样本年龄为受试生物体的生长年龄，关键词：time_series_design