Van Houcke Jessie, De Groef Lies, Dekeyster Eline, Moons Lieve
Laboratory of Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration, Animal Physiology and Neurobiology Section, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Laboratory of Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration, Animal Physiology and Neurobiology Section, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Ageing Res Rev. 2015 Nov;24(Pt B):358-68. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2015.10.004. Epub 2015 Oct 29.
Considering the increasing number of elderly in the world's population today, developing effective treatments for age-related pathologies is one of the biggest challenges in modern medical research. Age-related neurodegeneration, in particular, significantly impacts important sensory, motor, and cognitive functions, seriously constraining life quality of many patients. Although our understanding of the causal mechanisms of aging has greatly improved in recent years, animal model systems still have much to tell us about this complex process. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) have gained enormous popularity for this research topic over the past decade, since their life span is relatively short but, like humans, they are still subject to gradual aging. In addition, the extensive characterization of its well-conserved molecular and cellular physiology makes the zebrafish an excellent model to unravel the underlying mechanisms of aging, disease, and repair. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the progress made in zebrafish gerontology, with special emphasis on nervous system aging. We review the evidence that classic hallmarks of aging can also be recognized within this small vertebrate, both at the molecular and cellular level. Moreover, we illustrate the high level of similarity with age-associated human pathologies through a survey of the functional deficits that arise as zebrafish age.
鉴于当今世界人口中老年人数量不断增加，开发针对与年龄相关病症的有效治疗方法是现代医学研究面临的最大挑战之一。特别是与年龄相关的神经退行性变，会显著影响重要的感觉、运动和认知功能，严重限制许多患者的生活质量。尽管近年来我们对衰老因果机制的理解有了很大提高，但动物模型系统在这个复杂过程中仍能为我们提供很多信息。在过去十年中，斑马鱼（Danio rerio）在这个研究课题上大受欢迎，因为它们寿命相对较短，但和人类一样，仍会逐渐衰老。此外，其高度保守的分子和细胞生理学的广泛特征，使斑马鱼成为揭示衰老、疾病和修复潜在机制的优秀模型。本综述全面概述了斑马鱼老年学的进展，特别强调神经系统衰老。我们回顾了在这种小型脊椎动物中，在分子和细胞水平上也能识别出衰老经典特征的证据。此外，通过对斑马鱼衰老过程中出现的功能缺陷进行调查，我们说明了它与人类年龄相关病症的高度相似性。
