AginAging: a portrait from gene expression profile in blood cells: a portrait from gene expression profile in blood cells.

In almost every countries the proportion of people over 60 years is growing faster that any other age group. Increased life expectancy is leading to the characterization of specific aspects of aging for the various physiological systems. The study of healthy aging is important to design strategies capable to maximize the health and to prevent chronic diseases in older people. Immunosenscence reflects the age-related changes of the immune system and the reduced capacity of elderly people to cope with new infections. To elucidate changes in gene expression related to systemic aging and immunosenescence in an unbiased manner we performed comparative microarray analysis on whole blood cell from healthy middle-aged versus elderly men, and correlated results with functional measurements of aerobic capacity. Blood cells from elderly subjects showed age-related changes in the expression of several markers of immunosenescence, inflammation and oxidative stress, and showed impairments in metabolic and biosynthetic capacities.

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Calabria E, Mazza EM, Dyar KA, Pogliaghi S, Bruseghini P, Morandi C, Salvagno GL, Gelati M, Guidi GC, Bicciato S, Schiaffino S, Schena F, Capelli C