Centenarians Overexpress Pluripotency-Related Genes

• Published in: The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Vol. 74; no. 9; p. 1391
• Main Authors: Inglés, Marta, Mas-Bargues, Cristina, Berna-Erro, Alejandro, Matheu, Ander, Sanchís, Paula, Avellana, Juan-Antonio, Borrás, Consuelo, Viña, José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 16.08.2019
• Subjects: Stemness; Longevity; Healthy aging; Pluripotency
• DOI: 10.1093/gerona/gly168

Human mesenchymal cells can become pluripotent by the addition of Yamanaka factors OCT3/4, SOX2, c-MYC, KLF4. We have recently reported that centenarians overexpress BCL-xL, which has been shown to improve pluripotency; thus, we aimed to determine the expression of pluripotency-related genes in centenarians. We recruited 22 young, 32 octogenarian, and 47 centenarian individuals and determined the mRNA expression of Yamanaka factors and other stemness-related cell surface marker genes (VIM, BMP4, NCAM, BMPR2) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. We found that centenarians overexpress OCT3/4, SOX2, c-MYC, VIM, BMP4, NCAM, and BMPR2, when compared with octogenarians (p < .05). We further tested the functional role of BCL-xL in centenarians' ability to express pluripotency-related genes: lymphocytes from octogenarians transduced with BCL-xL overexpressed SOX2, c-MYC, and KLF4. We conclude that centenarians overexpress Yamanaka Factors and other stemness-related cell surface marker genes, which may contribute to their successful aging.