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- Abstract:
- Abstract of “The Role of Myc in Aging and Longevity in Mice” by Jeffrey W. Hofmann, Ph.D., Brown University, May 2014 The gene Myc encodes a transcription factor that is expressed in most cell types, and it regulates the expression of at least 15% of known genes in diverse pathways. The MYC protein promotes proliferation, and its overexpression is a frequent cause of a wide variety of cancers. Though the expression of Myc is unaffected by age in mice, many of the processes that it regulates have been implicated in aging. To investigate the effect of Myc expression on aging, we generated mice with one copy of Myc knocked out (Myc+/– mice). These mice are 20% smaller than Myc+/+ (wild-type) mice, but breed normally and appear healthy. The central finding of this investigation is that the median lifespan of Myc+/– mice was 15.1% greater than Myc+/+. Myc+/– also had reduced prevalence and grade of the most common neoplastic diseases, although their longevity extension is only partially attributable to this cancer resistance. Many pathologic effects of aging were attenuated in Myc+/– mice, including osteoporosis, loss of motor coordination, immunosenescence, and cardiac fibrosis. The breadth of these beneficial effects suggests that the increased longevity of Myc+/– mice is not attributable to the prevention of a specific fatal disease, but rather to the attenuation of fundamental underlying mechanisms of aging and broadly increased healthspan.
- Notes:
- Thesis (Ph.D. -- Brown University (2014)
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Citation
Hofmann, Jeffrey W.,
"The Role of Myc in Aging and Longevity in Mice"
(2014).
Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.7301/Z0028PWQ
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Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry department....