Abstract
Ageing is associated with altered neuroendocrine function. In the context of the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus, which makes the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin, ageing alters acute responses to hyperosmotic cues, rendering the elderly more susceptible to dehydration. Chronically, vasopressin has been associated with numerous diseases of old age, including type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Bulk RNAseq transcriptome analysis has been used to catalogue the polyadenylated supraoptic nucleus transcriptomes of adult (3 months) and aged (18 months) rats in basal euhydrated and stimulated dehydrated conditions. Gene ontology and Weighted Correlation Network Analysis revealed that ageing is associated with alterations in the expression of extracellular matrix genes. Interestingly, whilst the transcriptomic response to dehydration is overall blunted in aged animals compared to adults, there is a specific enrichment of differentially expressed genes related to neurodegenerative processes in the aged cohort, suggesting that dehydration itself may provoke degenerative consequences in aged rats.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 12 |
| Journal | npj Aging |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was supported by grants from the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2017-287 to B.T.G., F.A.I., D.M. and M.P.G.), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC; BB/R016879/1 to D.M. and M.P.G.), the Medical Research Council (MRC; MR/N022807/1 to D.M. and M.G.) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, 2019/27581-0 to A.S.M). Students were supported in the Murphy lab by grants from the MRC-DTG (1662603 to A.P.), the BBSRC-SWBio DTP programme (BB/M009122/1 to B.T.G.) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF; FS/17/60/33474 to A.G.P).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
