One of the basic questions in the aging field is whether there is a fundamental difference between the aging of lower invertebrates and mammals. A major difference between the lower invertebrates and mammals is the abundancy of noncoding RNAs, most of which are not conserved. We have previously identified a noncoding RNA Terc-53 that is derived from the RNA component of telomerase Terc. To study its physiological functions, we generated two transgenic mouse models overexpressing the RNA in wild-type and early-aging Terc-/- backgrounds. Terc-53 mice showed age-related cognition decline and shortened life span, even though no developmental defects or physiological abnormality at an early age was observed, indicating its involvement in normal aging of mammals. Subsequent mechanistic study identified hyaluronan-mediated motility receptor (Hmmr) as the main effector of Terc-53. Terc-53 mediates the degradation of Hmmr, leading to an increase of inflammation in the affected tissues, accelerating organismal aging. adeno-associated virus delivered supplementation of Hmmr in the hippocampus reversed the cognition decline in Terc-53 transgenic mice. Neither Terc-53 nor Hmmr has homologs in C. elegans. Neither do arthropods express hyaluronan. These findings demonstrate the complexity of aging in mammals and open new paths for exploring noncoding RNA and Hmmr as means of treating age-related physical debilities and improving healthspan.
Animals ; Mice ; RNA, Untranslated/metabolism* ; Aging/genetics* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Telomerase/metabolism* ; RNA/genetics* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Humans ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Objective To explore the correlation between the level of serum uric acid and metabolic syndrome and associated factors including overweight,abnormality of blood glucose,blood lipid,and hypertension.Methods 654 cases of complete medical records,aging from 30-90with median age of 65 ,were completed were selected,Data base was established by using Excell software,meanwhile,single factor analysis and stepwise regression analysis were performed using SPSS 11.0 software package.Results The levels of serum uric acid of patients with overweight,high fasting blood glucose (FBG),hypertriglyceride (TG),high-density lipid cholesterol (HDL-C)and essential hypertension (EH)were higher than that of patients without overweight,normal fasting blood glucose,normal triglyceride,low high-density lipid cholesterol and without hypertension,respectively [respectively,(270.52 ±81.63 )μmol/L vs.(226.61 ± 67.42)μmol/L,t=-7.387,P=0.000;(265.71±73.50)μmol/Lvs.(235.03 ±75.00)μmol/L,t=-4.459,P=0.000;(262.80 ±74.45 )μmol/L vs.( 235.82±75.04)μmol/L,t=-3.927,P=0.000;(243.97 ±76.33)μmol/L vs.(212.78±57.60)μmol/L,t=-2.412,P=0.016;(282.87±64.79)μmol/L vs.( 180.22±41.60)μmol/L,t=22.59,P=0.000 ].The patients with metabolic syndrome (n=107)and the patients without metabolic syndrome (n=547)were included in our study.The level of serum uric acid of patients with metabolic syndrome was higher than that of patients without metabolic syndrome [(301.22±68.55 )μmol/L vs.(230.72±71.63)μmol/L,t=9.376,P=0.000].Stepwise regression analysis showed that there was positive correlation between systolic blood pressure (SBP),diastolic blood pressure (DBP),the body mass index (BMI),triglyceride (TG),high-density lipid cholesterol (HDL-C),fasting blood glucose (FBG)and the level of serum uric acid,respectively (t=3.409,13.401,6.979,2.943,3.514,4.706 respectively;P=0.000,0.001,0.000,0.003,0.000,0.000 respectively).Conclusion The level of serum uric acid in patients with metabolic syndrome is higher than those without metabolic syndrome.There is positive correlation between the level of serum uric acid and associated factors of metabolic syndrome including overweight,abnormality of blood glucose and blood lipid,and hypertension.