Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing

Re: To Dr.Masanori Hosokawa

Masanori Hosokawa
hosokawa@frontier.kyoto-u.ac.jp

On Tue Dec 15, Keiichi Higuchi wrote
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>Thank you very much for excellent review of SAM mice.
>As I mentioned in overview, we are far from the establishment of a general concept, which explains the aging process of higher organisms such as human and mice.@I will agree that SAM is a unique model to study aging phenomena. So we really want to know the genes, which are responsible for short life span of SAM mice. To find out these genes, I think it is crucial to determine the definite phenotypes, which represent well the aging of SAM. I think the distinctions between aging and senescence, accelerated and pre-mature senescence, physiological and pathological senescence, age-related and age-dependent disease, are not so important. Hyperoxidative status of SAMP mice are very impressive idea. Again, we should select a appropriate trait of hyperoxidative status to do genetic analyses.

REPLY to Dr. K.HIGUCHI

Thank you very much Dr. Higuchi for your comments. My opinion is following;
To define the words "aging, senescence, normal, pathological, accelerated, premature, age-related, age-dependent" seems far from the genetic studies of aging. However, I suppose this work is the very thing that is needed in the genetic studies.
We have learned a lot of things from the studies about SAM strain of mice, and we could not establish the SAM strain and could not analyze the characteristics of senescence of these mice without defining these words. As you pointed out, it is very important to select definite phenotypes in the genetic studies of senescence. It is also important to understand the meaning of the selected phenotypes. For example, what bring the shorter life span, premature aging? accelerated senescence? or pathologies which are not relate to aging process. Aging and senescence is a dynamic phenomenon in the complex system and multiple genes seem to be involved. In such a case, to understand the characteristics of senescence phenotypes is very important.

Wed Dec 16