INSTITUT LADY DAVIS DE RECHERCHES MÉDICALES / LADY DAVIS INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH Full colour Bilingual_Horizontal.jpg Logo-Horizontal-Red.tif Cancer and Aging: Two Faces of the Same Coin (1) Theories, Mechanisms and Models of Aging Centre Bloomfield de recherche sur le vieillissement The Bloomfield Centre for Research in Aging (1)Theories, Mechanisms and Models of Aging (2)Telomere Biology and Aging (3)Telomere Biology and Cancer-Part 1 and Part 2 (4)Telomerase and Telomere Regulation (5)Telomeres, Telomerase and The Premature Aging Syndrome Dyskeratosis congenita (6)Telomeres in Premature Aging and Degenerative Diseases Cancer and Aging: Two Faces of the Same Coin References: Background reading and reference material of interest Ljubuncic, P. and Reznick, A.Z. 2009. The evolutionary theories of aging revisited-A mini-review. Gerontology 55, 205-216. Smith, D.L. et al. 2010. Calorie restriction: what recent results suggest for the future of ageing research. European Journal of Clinical Investigation 40, 440-450. Lapointe, J. and Hekimi, S. 2010. When a theory of aging ages badly. Cellular and Molecular Life Science 67, 1-8. Hekimi, S., Lapointe, J. and Wen, Y. 2011. Taking a “good” look at free radicals in the aging process. Cell 21, 569-576 Imai, S. and Guarente, L. 2010. Ten years of NAD-dependent SIR2 family deacetylases: implications for metabolic diseases. Trends in Parmacological Sciences 31, 212-220. Sahin, E. and DePinho, R.A. 2010. Linking functional decline of telomeres, mitochondria and stem cells during ageing. Nature 464 520-528. Rando, T.A. and Chang, H.Y. 2012. Aging, rejuvenation, and epigenetic reprogramming: resetting the aging clock. Cell 148, 46-57. A. Introduction •Lifespan and life expectancy •Characteristics of aging •Approaches to studying aging, use of model organisms •Caloric restriction B. Mechanisms/Causes of Aging Evolutionary theory of aging Free Radical (Oxidative Stress)/ Mitochondrial DNA theory of aging Gene regulation theory of aging (Sir proteins) Telomere theory of aging •Replicative senescence and the Hayflick limit •Characteristics of senescent cells •Cellular senescence versus aging •What are telomeres? •Telomeres and aging •End replication problem and telomere shortening Lecture outline: What comes to mind when I say aging? A. INTRODUCTION What comes to mind when I say aging? Loss of function: hearing loss decreased reproduction cataracts fragility muscle atrophy anemia feeble immune response impaired wound healing cell death osteoporosis Alzheimer’s cancer hair graying wrinkled skin wisdom knowledge natural process death A. INTRODUCTION Why do we study aging? How do we study aging? Why do we study aging? -gain understanding of diseases of aging -prevent/cure diseases of aging -prolong life span -stay young -gain understanding of mechanisms of normal and abnormal aging -improve quality of life in aging How do we study aging? Premature aging syndromes? Age-related diseases-cancer, Alzheimer’s Model systems -mouse models (transgenic, knockout) -C.elegans/cell culture (human/mouse) Human population studies Martin, G.M. et al. 2003. Research on aging: the end of the beginning. Science 299: 1339-1341. Hayflick, L. 2000. The future of ageing. Nature 408, 267-269. Resolution of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer would increase human life expectancy by 15 years Lifespan and Life Expectancy •Lifespan is the maximum number of years that a human can live (~125 years- unchanged) • •Life expectancy is defined as the average total number of years that a human expects to live In the last century there has been a significant gain in human longevity with the life expectancy increasing by 27 years, to approximately 80 years, in Western Countries (The life expectancy continues to rise, and based on 2008 statistics has now reached 76.4 years for men, and 82.4 years for women in the European Union) Why? Tosato, M. et al. 2007. The aging process and potential interventions to extend life expectancy. Clin. Inter. in Aging. 2, 401-412. Cassel, C.K. 2001. Successful aging. Geriatrics. Vol. 56 35-39. Hayflick, L. 2000. The future of ageing. Nature 408, 267-269. Ageing as an artefact of civilization Troen, B.R. 2003. The Biology of Aging. The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine Vol 70: 3-22. 1900: 4% >65 years of age 1992: 12% 2030: 22% Characteristics of Aging Some North American statistics Individuals over the age of 65 50% develop cardiovascular disease 35% develop arthropathies 15% develop type 2 diabetes 10% develop pulmonarydisease Stroke and dementia, the most common cause of institutionalization cost 21 billion dollars per year. Between the ages of 40 and 80, increased cancer incidence producing a lifetime cancer risk of nearly 1 in 2 in industrialized nations. Sahin, E. and DePinho, R.A. 2010. nature 464, 520-528. Model organisms Vijg, J. and Campisi, J. 2008. Puzzles, promises and a cure for ageing. Nature 454, 1065-1071. Model organisms Longo, V.D. and Finch, C.E. 2003. Evolutionary Medicine: From Dwarf Model Systems to Healthy Centenarians? Science 299, 1342-1345. Liang et al. 2003. Genetic mouse models of extended lifespan. Experimental Gerontology 38, 1353-1364. Tissenbaum, H.A. and Guarante, L. 2003. Model Organisms as a Guide to Mammalian Aging. Dev. Cell 1, 9-19 Sch9 (a serine threonine kinase) chico GHR/BP (growth hormone receptor/binding protein) Replicative lifespan: Chronological lifespan Mutations that decrease glucose or insulin/IGF-1- like signaling/long-lived/ smaller Caloric restriction oTypically refers to a diet in which calories are limited by 30-40% compared with animals fed ad libitum oCaloric restriction extends life span in rodents, worms, yeast (and nonhuman primates), and postpones or prevents a number of diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer) and age-dependent deterioration > oSelective value since reproduction can be postponed until food is available; when food is restored progeny are produced. Well fed controls become post-reproductive and die in the interim Longo, VD and Finch, CE. 2003. Evolutionary Medicine: From Dwarf Model Systems to Healthy Centenarians? Science 299, 1342-1345. Piper, MDW and Bartke, A. 2008. Diet and aging. Cell Metabolism 8, 99-104. Shanley DP and Kirkwood TBL. Caloric restriction does not enhance longevity in all species and is unlikely to do so in humans. Biogerontology (2006) 7, 165-168. Smith, D.L., Nagy, T.R., Allison, D.B. 2010. Calorie restriction: what recent results suggest for the future of ageing research. Eur. J. Clin. Invest. 40, 440-450. B. MECHANISMS/CAUSES OF AGING *Evolutionary theory of aging *Mitochondrial free radical theory of aging (MFRTA) *Gene regulation theory of aging (Sir proteins) *Telomere theory of aging *Epigenetics and aging Tosato, M. et al. 2007. The aging process and potential interventions to extend life expectancy. Clin. Inter. in Aging. 2, 401-412. Kirkwood, T.B.L. 2005. Understanding the odd science of aging. Cell 120, 437-447. Blagonsklonny, M.V. et al. Impact papers on aging in 2009. Aging 2, 11-121. Evolutionary Basis of Aging Proposes two models for how aging can evolve: 1.The theory of mutation accumulation 2.The antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis 3. 3. Diminishing selection leads to the accumulation of late-acting harmful genes; old age is not under selective pressure per se, and there is no evolutionary mechanism to rid a population of mutations that cause detrimental effects only in old animals A harmful late-acting gene remains in a population if it has a beneficial effect early in life (high testosterone in gorilla leads to artherosclerosis; large attractive feathers of male peacocks limits their ability to escape predators) Lubuncic, P. and Reznick, A.Z. 2009. The evolutionary theories of aging revisited-A mini-review. Gerontology 55, 205-216. Mitochondrial free radical theory of aging (MFRTA) Initially proposed by Hartman in 1956 and refined in 1972 Damage to vital molecules, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, can be caused by free radicals, byproducts of oxidative phosphorylation that occurs during aerobic metabolism. Oxygen is reduced by the addition of electrons and converted into reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals Basis for theory: (i)Strong correlation between chronological age and the level of ROS generation and oxidative damage (ii)Mitochondrial function is gradually lost during aging (iii)Inhibition of mitochondrial function can enhance ROS production (iv)Several age-dependent diseases are associated with severe increase in oxidative stress (v) But what if increased ROS generation is a consequence rather than a cause of aging? Hekimi, S. et al. 2011. Taking a ‘good’ look at free radicals in the aging process. Trends in Cell Biology. 21, 569-576. Age-related stress and disease Haigis, M.C. and Yankner, B.A. 2010. The aging stress response. Mol. Cell 40, 333-344; Hekimi, S. et al. 2011. Taking a ‘good’ look at free radicals in the aging process. Trends in Cell Biology. 21, 569-576. But what if increased ROS generation is a consequence rather than a cause of aging? Age-1 mutant of C. elegans has increased lifespan, increased SOD and catalase, and increased resistance to oxidative stress, heat shock and UV radiation (reviewed In Johnson, F.B. et al. 1999. Cell 96, 291-302) Sun et al 1999 Mol. Cell. Biol. 19, 216-218 The lifespan extension becomes less evident after backcrossing, Thus effect is likely the result of interaction with specific alleles at other loci Data in support of the MFRTA Sod-1-/- mice have shortened lifespan and have high levels of oxidative damage (but they die from hepato- cellular carcinoma) (Elchuri et al., 2005 Oncogene 24, 367-380) Evidence incompatible with the MFRTA (i)A lack of correlation between the level of ROS production and longevity in various species (ii) Deleterious rather than beneficial effects on lifespan from the administration of antioxidants in various species from invertebrates to humans (iii)The inactivation or over-expression of antioxidants fails to produce outcomes that support the MFRTA (iv) The existence of long-lived mutants and species with high ROS production and high levels of oxidative damage Hekimi, S. et al. 2011. Taking a ‘good’ look at free radicals in the aging process. Trends in Cell Biology. 21, 569-576. Mice which overexpress a proofreading-deficient version of the mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ accumulate mtDNA mutations and display features of accelerated aging, which correlated with the induction of apoptotic markers, but not with increased markers of oxidative stress (Kujoth et al. 2005 Science 309, 481-484). Mice knockouts of GPX1 (glutathione peroxidase, SOD1, 2 or 3 do not have decreased lifespan, despite increased oxidative stress (Van Remmen et al. 2003 Physiol Genomics 16, 29-37; Williams et al. 1998 JBC 273, 28510-28515) Increasing levels of a mitochondrial antioxidant, Coenzyme Q10, in mice, has no effects on lifesapn (Sohal et al. 2006 Free Radic Biol Med 40, 480-487) Overexpression of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD1, SOD2 and catalase does not increase the lifespan of mice (Muller et al. 2007 Free Radic Biol Med 43, 477-503; Huang et al. 2000 J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 55, B5-B9. (Perez et al. 2009 Aging Cell 8, 73-75) Recent studies have also linked high oxidative stress to extended lifespan (Andziak et al 2006 Aging Cell 5, 463- 471; Andziak et al. 2006 Aging Cell 5, 525-532; Csiszar et al. 2008 Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 295, H1882- H1894; Ran et al 2007 J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 62, 932-942) Partial inactivation of Mclk1, a mitochondrial enzyme necessary for coenzyme Q biosynthesis, prolong average and maximum mouse lifespan despite high oxidative stress (Lapointe et al.2009 JBC 284, 20364-20374) Data which do not support the MFRTA and which may contradict it **Deletion of Sod-2 in C. elegans fails to shorten lifespan and actually prolongs it, despite increased oxidative stress (Van Raamsdonk and Hekimi 2009 PLoS Genet. 5, e1000361. Lapointe J. and Hekimi, S. 2009. When a theory of aging ages badly. Cell. Mol. Life. Sci. Sep 3. [Epub ahead of print] Sources and targets of ROS Hekimi, S. et al. 2011. Taking a ‘good’ look at free radicals in the aging process. Trends in Cell Biology. 21, 569-576. Enzymes modulating the oxidative status and stress response are regulated by kinases and phosphatases ROS as signaling molecules funtioning as stress signals in response to age-dependent damage ROS can stimulate beneficial responses to cellular stresses produced by aging: -autophagy -DNA base excision repair -protective transcription factor HIF-1a -changes in gene expression? Hekimi, S. et al. 2011. Taking a ‘good’ look at free radicals in the aging process. Trends in Cell Biology. 21, 569-576. Nuo-6 is a subunit of complex I of mitochondrial respiratory chain; Mclk1+/ mice lack one copy of an enzyme that is necessary for the synthesis of the antioxidant and redox co-factor ubiquinone Stress-response hormesis and aging? Lapointe J. and Hekimi, S. 2010. When a theory of aging ages badly. Cell. Mol. Life. Sci. 67, 1-8. Hormesis: a set of phenomena in which exposure to transient and/or repeated doses of a potentially harmful factor induces an adaptive beneficial effect on the cell or organism Gradual ROS response hypothesis Hekimi, S. et al. 2011. Taking a ‘good’ look at free radicals in the aging process. Trends in Cell Biology. 21, 569-576. (i)As ROS are not the initial cause of aging in at least some species they cannot be a universal cause of aging, although high levels of ROS damage can contribute to the aged phenotype, in particular in disease states that develop later in life (ii)ROS are signaling molecules that can modulate stress response pathways (iii) Increased ROS levels can result in positive effects, including on cellular processes that limit lifespan Unlike hormesis, the gradual ROS response hypothesis proposes a process that is gradual, endogenous and occurs continuously as part of normal aging in wild type animals Hekimi, S. et al. 2011. Taking a ‘good’ look at free radicals in the aging process. Trends in Cell Biology. 21, 569-576. Gradual ROS response hypothesis (i)Proposes that cellular constituents sustain age-dependent damages that trigger protective stress responses that use ROS as second messengers (ii)Protective mechanisms are not completely effective leading to a gradual increase in age-related damage (iii)The gradual increase in damage leads to a gradually intensifying stimulation of stress responses, and thus, a gradual and sustained generation of ROS (iv)With aging, a threshold is reached where levels of ROS become maladaptive and ROS toxicity starts to contribute to the damage production which ROS dependent stress pathways were meant to combat (v) The induced ROS-dependent damage could explain the involvement of ROS in age-dependent disease Not yet defined Cellular stress response pathways Energy status DNA damage Protein damage Hypoxia Insulin/Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling Sirtuins Target of rapamycin (TOR) AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathways Adaptive cellular responses Nutrient sensing Redox metabolism DNA damage response Coordinated regulation of protein synthesis and turnover Autophagy Mitochondrial function Based on Haigis, M.C. and Yankner, B.A. 2010. The aging stress response. Mol. Cell 40, 333-344; Gene regulation theory of aging PGenes in yeast, worms, flies, and mice have been identified that affect lifespan PMany of these genes regulate/promote growth (glucose or Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1-like) signaling) and/or resistance against oxidative damage and other forms of stress Kuningas, M. et al. 2008. Genes encoding longevity: from model organisms to humans. Conserved regulation of longevity Longo, VD, Lieber, MR, Vijg, J. 2008 Turning anti-ageing genes against cancer. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 9, 903-910; Haigis, M.C. and Yankner, B.A. 2010. The aging stress response. Mol. Cell 40, 333-344 *Inherited SNPs in genes of insulin signaling pathway correlate with longevity *SNPs in AKT1, FOXO1, FOXO3a found in multiple centenarian cohorts SIR2 is important for chromatin structure: it functions to silence several loci in yeast, including telomeres, ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the mating loci. Silencing requires that particular lysines in the extended amino-terminal tail of histones H3 and H4 be deacetylated (deacetylated histones can fold into a more compact, closed nucleosomal structure) Guarante, L. 2000. Sir2 links chromatin silencing, metabolism, and aging. Genes & Development 14, 1021-1026. SIR proteins The yeast sirtuin 2 (Sir2-silent information regulator 2) is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) histone deacetylase that modulates yeast replicative life span by suppressing genome instability through chromatin modification. Is SIR2 the link between caloric restriction and longevity? Lifespan is not extended by caloric restriction of a yeast strain that lacks SIR2 Sirtuin activating compounds (STACs, e.g. resveratrol) can promote the survival of human cells, extend the replicative lifespan of yeast and delay aging in C.elegans and D. melanogaster likely by mimicing caloric restriction Model: More NAD becomes available when the physiological rate is slowed (caloric restriction), increasing SIR2 activity followed by increased silencing and lifespan Guarente, L. 2000. Sir2 links chromatin silencing, metabolism, and aging. Genes & Development 14, 1021-1026. Howitz et al. 2003. Nature 425, 191-196. Guarente and Picard. 2005. Calorie Restriction— the SIR2 connection. Cell 120, 473-482. Calorie excess Calorie restriction SIR2 and signaling pathways in different species Dali-Youcef, N. et al. 2007. Sirtuins: The ‘magnificent seven’, function, metabolism and longevity. Annals of Medicine 39, 335-345. Intersects the insulin/IGF-signaling pathway SIRT1 and CR •Unlike wild-type mice, SIRT1-deficient mice do not exhibit increased physical activity upon CR •SIRT1 transgenic mice display phenotypes that mimic some of the physiological changes in response to CR oDecreased insulin and glucose levels in blood oImproved glucose tolerance oReduced fat mass and circulating levels of free fatty acid oReduced level of total cholesterol in blood oEnhanced oxygen consumption oImproved activity in rotarod tests oDelayed reproductive timing Imai, S. and Guarente, L. 2010. Ten years of NAD-dependent SIR2 family deacetylases: implications For metabolic diseases. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. 31, 212-220. SIRT targets in mammals Imai, S. and Guarente, L. 2010. Ten years of NAD-dependent SIR2 family deacetylases: implications For metabolic diseases. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. 31, 212-220. SIRT targets in mammals Lavu, S. et al. 2008. Sirtuins—novel therapeutic targets to treat age-associated diseases. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 7, 841-853. SIRT6 depletion leads to telomere dysfunction with end-to-end chromosomal fusions and premature cellular senescence SIRT1 as a potent protector from age-associated pathologies, such as diabetes, liver steatosis, cardiovascular disease, neuro- degeneration, and cancer Herranz, D. and Serrano, M. 2010. SIRT1: recent lessons from mouse models. Nature Reviews 10, 819-823. SirT3 protects against damage from mitochondrially derived ROS Bell E.L. and Guarente, L. The SirT3 divining rod points to oxidative stress. 2011. Molecular Cell 42, 561-568. isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 glutathione reductase glutathione peroxidase SIRT targets in mammals Finkel, T. et al. 2009. Recent progress in the biology and physiology of sirtuins. Nature 460, 587-591. Herranz, D. and Serrano, M. 2010. SIRT1: recent lessons from mouse models. Nature Reviews 10, 819-823. However, no definitive evidence that the SIR proteins play any direct role in mammalian lifespan regulation since neither pharmacological sirtuin activators nor overexpression of SIRT1 has been demonstrated to extend lifespan in mice; higher levels of overexpression or overexpression of several sirtuins? Haigis, M.C. and Yankner, B.A. 2010. The aging stress response. Mol. Cell 40, 333-344 Nutrional Regulation of Conserved Signaling and Stress Response Pathways Altering cellular metabolism and mobilizing protective stress responses Replicative senescence and telomere theory of aging Human primary cells such as fibroblasts divide a ‘programmed’ number of times before undergoing replicative senescence in culture. This limit on cell division is called the Hayflick limit. Characteristics of senescent cells Withdrawal from cell cycle, but not quiescent or terminally differentiated Chromosomal instability Morphological and biochemical changes (enlargement up to twofold relative to size of nonsenescent counterparts Altered gene expression, increased p16INK4a Metabolically viable Senescence-associated b-galactosidase (some lysosome activities are elevated in senescent cells; lysosomal b-Gal may increase such that its activity is detectable at pH 6) Senescence-associated heterochromatin (SAHF) which silence critical pro-proliferative genes April 19 2005 P 16 #1 Human cell senescence in vitro and lifelong replication in vivo? 6Cell from old donors divide fewer times in culture than cells from young donors 6Cells from different species have a Hayflick limit that correlates with species longevity 6Cell from patients with accelerated aging syndromes divide fewer times in culture than cells from age-matched controls 6Accumulation of senescent cells in older individuals Is there a genetic mitotic clock that counts the number of cell divisions and signals to exit the cell cycle? •Telomeres are ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes •Composed of many tandemly arranged copies of a short, G-rich DNA sequence (TTAGGG in humans) •Contain a short ss G-rich 3’overhang that is important for telomere function 3’ 5’ 2-30 kB ~150 nt T T A G G G ning03 Ning et al., 2003 TELOMERIC SIMPLE SEQUENCE REPEATS Organism Repeat sequence Tetrahymena T2G4 Oxytricha T4G4 Saccharomyces (TG)1-6TG2-3 Kluyvermyces ACG2AT3GAT2AG2TATGTG2TGT Arabidopsis T3AG3 Homo sapiens T2AG3 End-replication problem 3' 5' DNA replication 3' 5' 3' 5' 5' 3' 3' 5' RNA primer removal, Okazaki fragment ligation Leading strand Lagging strand Leading strand Lagging strand Lagging strand Leading strand In the absence of a mechanism to counteract the end replication problem, telomeres shorten with each successive round of DNA replication. The end replication problem causes telomere shortening ning03 Ning et al., 2003 trfdat PD 35 PD 48 Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with telomeric probe Terminal restriction fragment (TRF) blot Correlation between donor age and telomere length in human fibroblasts Harley, C.B. et al. 1990. Nature 345, 458-460. Relation between replicative senescence of cells in culture and organismal lifespan? šThere is a wide distribution of replicative potential of cells cultured from humans and animals šThe Hayflick limit applies only to the longest surviving clone šStem cells of intact renewing tissues undergo more divisions in a lifetime than the Hayflick limit in culture šMorphological changes in vitro are not comparable to those in vivo šTwo clonal populations derived from a single mitosis may have different replicative potentials šCorrelation between donor age and replicative potential is difficult to reproduce šCorrelation between lifespan and Hayflick limit has several exceptions Rubin, H. 2002. The disparity between human cell senescence in vitro and lifelong replication in vivo. Nature Biotechnology 20, 675-681. Relationship between in vitro proliferative capacity of postnatal skin fibroblast cell lines and donor age Cristofalo, V.J. et al. 1998. PNAS 95, 10614-10619. Health status and biopsy conditions need to be considered Balance between oxidative stress and antioxidant defence modulates telomere length and replicative senescence von Zglinicki, T. 2002. Oxidative stress shortens telomeres. Trends Biochem. Sci. 27, 339-344. Aging, Rejunenation, and Epigenetic Reprogramming: Resetting the Aging Clock Reprogramming during fertilization Somatic cell nuclear transfer exploits the reprogramming process during fertilization. Are there any age-related alterations of the transplanted nucleus? Creation of induced pluripotent stem cells by the transcription factors Oct4, Sox2 and Klf4 Reprogramming is characterized by a reversal of the differentiation program and attainment of pluripotency, but not reversal of aging Rando, T.A. and Chang, H.Y. Aging, Rejuvenation, and Epigenetic reprogramming: resetting the aging clock. 2012. Cell 148, 46-57. Induced pluripotent stem cells, epigenetic reprogramming and the role of telomeres Davy and Allsopp, Cell Stem Cell, 4, 95-96, 2009 Is it possible to reset the aging clock without affecting the differentiation program? Yes, environmentally, by heterochronic parabiosis (systemic circulations of two animals are joined together) Genetically, by a conditional inhibition of NF-Kb in the skin Pharmacologically by administration of rapamycin, a mTOR inhibitor Rando, T.A. and Chang, H.Y. Aging, Rejuvenation, and Epigenetic reprogramming: resetting the aging clock. 2012. Cell 148, 46-57. •impaired regenerative responses in skeletal muscle •thinning of the skin epithelium •hypercellularity of the bone marrow. Aging and Epigenetics Rando, T.A. and Chang, H.Y. Aging, Rejuvenation, and Epigenetic reprogramming: resetting the aging clock. 2012. Cell 148, 46-57. Is aging comparable to differentiation? If aging is in part a manifestation of epigenetic changes, can young and old cells by characterized by specific epigenetic profiles? PcG: Polycomb group proteins Trithorax group proteins (Trx) and H3K27 demethylase JMJD3