R01AG072791

Role of Selective Autophagy in Organismal Health - Project Summary

Autophagy is a cellular, homeostatic process with important roles in aging and age-related diseases. During autophagy, cytosolic material or cargo is sequestered into autophagic vesicles called autophagosomes for subsequent lysosomal degradation. However, the underlying mechanisms for how the turnover of specific types of cargo, such as protein aggregates or mitochondria, collectively referred to as selective autophagy, contributes to cellular proteostasis and organismal health remain elusive.

We and others recently showed a conserved role for the first identified autophagy cargo receptor in metazoans, p62/SQSTM1, in mediating proteostasis and organismal benefits in an autophagy-dependent manner. In particular, we showed that p62 overexpression in the short-lived nematode C. elegans is sufficient to induce autophagy and extend life- and healthspan, and protect against protein aggregation predominantly in neurons. Moreover, p62 is selectively required for the beneficial effects of a hormetic heat shock, a conserved longevity regimen that we previously showed to induce autophagy.

Collectively, these studies suggest the hypothesis that p62 plays an instructive role in inducing tissue-specific, selective autophagy to facilitate organismal benefits. This is a novel concept because autophagy receptors are traditionally viewed as factors facilitating cargo sequestration, rather than being active inducers of this complex, multi-step turnover process.

We propose to address this hypothesis by using C. elegans to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which a hormetic heat shock via p62 or direct p62 overexpression regulate autophagy cell autonomously and improve organismal health via cell non-autonomous effects. Specifically, in Aim 1, we will use genetic approaches to test how a hormetic heat shock engages p62 to regulate autophagy, especially in neurons. In Aim 2, we will investigate the cell-autonomous and cell non-autonomous mechanisms by which p62 induces autophagy and improves fitness. Finally, in Aim 3, we will use genetic and biochemical approaches to identify new p62-relevant cargo and p62-like receptors engaged by hormetic heat shock.

These studies are significant because they will advance our knowledge of how selective autophagy contributes to organismal healthspan. These studies are innovative because they use a powerful combination of techniques and models to investigate the novel regulatory concept in the autophagy field that an autophagy receptor is sufficient to induce beneficial autophagy, potentially via cell non-autonomous mechanisms. Since autophagy plays critical roles in many human age-related disorders, understanding the regulation of autophagy and the conserved mechanisms by which autophagy affects aging in multicellular organisms like C. elegans are likely to provide new important insights relevant to aging, which also may help develop treatments for age-related diseases.

Buck Institute For Research On Aging

TO ENCOURAGE BIOMEDICAL, SOCIAL, AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING DIRECTED TOWARD GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE AGING PROCESS AND THE DISEASES, SPECIAL PROBLEMS, AND NEEDS OF PEOPLE AS THEY AGE. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING HAS ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS TO PURSUE THESE GOALS. THE DIVISION OF AGING BIOLOGY EMPHASIZES UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF AGING. THE DIVISION OF GERIATRICS AND CLINICAL GERONTOLOGY SUPPORTS RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE ABILITIES OF HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS TO RESPOND TO THE DISEASES AND OTHER CLINICAL PROBLEMS OF OLDER PEOPLE. THE DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL RESEARCH SUPPORTS RESEARCH THAT WILL LEAD TO GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT BOTH THE PROCESS OF GROWING OLD AND THE PLACE OF OLDER PEOPLE IN SOCIETY. THE DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE FOSTERS RESEARCH CONCERNED WITH THE AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE RELATED SENSORY, PERCEPTUAL, AND COGNITIVE PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH AGING AND HAS A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAM; TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT; TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT; AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS; TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS; TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT; AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.866 - Aging Research

National Institute on Aging (NIA) [HHS - NIH]

Novato, California 949451400 United States

Single Zip Code

NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PA-20-185)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 04/30/26 to 04/30/27 and the total obligations have increased 389% from $517,846 to $2,534,552.