Simple molecules make difference: short peptides play a novel role in slowing senescence.

Ya Li, Xiangzhan Zhu, Pengya Feng, Chunjing Qiu, Xia Xue, Xiangdong Sun

Henan Key Laboratory for Helicobacter pylori and Digestive Tract Microecology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University; Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science; Tianjian Laboratory of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P.R. China.Henan Key Laboratory for Helicobacter pylori and Digestive Tract Microecology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University; Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science; Tianjian Laboratory of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P.R. China. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Aging studies have entered a transformative era with the discovery and application of short peptides as regulators of senescence. These short peptides are encoded by small open reading frames in nuclear, mitochondrial, and viral genomes. Unlike non-coding RNAs, short peptides are evolutionarily conserved and play a role in ameliorating decline of cellular function. It has now been recognized involved in nearly all biological processes, including diseases and senescence, however, the mechanisms behind it are complicated and largely unexplored. This review aims to summarize the evidence that short peptides slow senescence by targeting interactions with core aging hallmarks in animals. The cross-species studies were reviewed from nematodes to mammals, in which short peptides can modulate the aging-related targets precisely, such as sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (SR/ER) calcium (Ca

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Research summary

Short peptides can modulate aging-related targets to slow senescence. The paper discusses mechanisms by which short peptides, as regulators of senescence, may address the root causes of aging, making it relevant to longevity research.

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