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This PDF is an editorial overview published in Fro This PDF is an editorial overview published in Frontiers in Genetics (2022) introducing a special research collection on how omics technologies—genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and exposomics—are transforming the scientific study of human aging and longevity. It highlights how aging, once studied one biomarker or one gene at a time, now requires systems-biology approaches, large datasets, multi-omics integration, and advanced computational methods to understand the full complexity of the aging process.
The editorial summarizes six scientific articles (three reviews and three original studies) that collectively explore the genetic, environmental, and molecular pathways that shape aging and age-related diseases.
🔶 Core Themes of the PDF
1. Aging Is Complex and Multifactorial
The document emphasizes that aging is influenced by:
Numerous genetic variants with small effects
Environmental exposures
Interconnected biological pathways and regulatory networks
Because of this complexity, aging cannot be understood through single markers alone; instead, researchers need holistic multi-omics strategies.
Omics of Human aging and longev…
2. The Rise of Multi-Omics and Systems Biology
High-throughput technologies have produced massive quantities of data, enabling:
Discovery of aging-related biomarkers
Integration of genetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolic signals
Network-level analysis of age-related diseases
The editorial stresses that data integration, not data quantity, is the main challenge.
Omics of Human aging and longev…
📌 Highlights of the Six Included Articles
The editorial summarizes the contributions of each article in the special issue:
A) Review: Multi-Omics Bioinformatics for Aging (Dato et al.)
This review explains powerful modern techniques such as:
Tensor decomposition for uncovering hidden relationships
Machine learning & deep neural networks
Integration of multi-omics datasets
It also provides a list of public databases useful in aging research (e.g., AgeFactDB, NeuroMuscleDB) and recommends:
Prioritizing population diversity
Improving data sharing among research groups
Omics of Human aging and longev…
B) Study: GWAS & Alzheimer’s Disease (Napolioni et al.)
Using large public genomic datasets, this study shows:
Recent consanguinity and autozygosity increase the risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease
This effect is independent of APOE genotypes and education
The study identifies a rare recessive variant in RPH3AL potentially linked to Alzheimer’s risk
Omics of Human aging and longev…
C) Study: Comparative Genomics of Aging (Podder et al.)
Using multi-species datasets (human, mouse, fly, worm), they identify:
Conserved aging pathways: FoxO, mTOR, autophagy
Rapamycin (an mTOR inhibitor) targets proteins conserved across species
A public interactive portal for comparative genomics results
Omics of Human aging and longev…
D) Review: Cross-Species Aging Genetics (Treaster et al.)
This article shows how comparative genomics can uncover:
Shared aging pathways across species
Gene sets under constrained evolutionary pressure
New candidate longevity genes that may apply to humans
Omics of Human aging and longev…
E) Study: Cognitive Function & Gene Regulation in Twins (Mohammadnejad et al.)
Using a large cohort of monozygotic twins, the study identifies:
Five novel cognition-related genes: APOBEC3G, H6PD, SLC45A1, GRIN3B, PDE4D
Dysregulated pathways related to neurodegeneration:
Ribosome function
Focal adhesion
Regulatory networks of activated and repressed transcription factors
Omics of Human aging and longev…
F) Review: The Chemical Exposome & Aging (Misra)
The exposome includes all environmental chemical exposures—diet, drugs, pollutants, toxins. The review shows:
Some exposures accelerate aging: pesticides, nitrosamines, heavy metals, smoking
Some exposures protect aging: selenium, crocin
Chemical exposures influence telomere length, cognitive decline, skin aging
Huge challenges remain in understanding combined effects of multiple chemicals
Omics of Human aging and longev…
🔶 Key Takeaway of the Entire PDF
The editorial concludes that:
Aging research is shifting from reductionist approaches to integrated systems biology
Multi-omics datasets and computational advances now allow the discovery of new molecular aging pathways
Data integration, diversity, and data sharing are essential for future breakthroughs
Omics of Human aging and longev…
⭐ Perfect One-Sentence Summary
This PDF provides a clear, modern overview of how multi-omics technologies and cross-disciplinary computational methods are transforming the scientific understanding of human aging and longevity, highlighting key studies that reveal genetic, environmental, and network-level mechanisms of aging.... |