New research has found that lungs age differently. It revealed that certain lung cells are more vulnerable to aging than others. This study has been published in Nature Communications. Scientists at Yale School of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and their collaborators have taken a close look at how different lung cancer cells respond over the period of time. They found that aging does not affect all lung cells equally.
Challenging the Traditional View of Aging
Generally, aging is considered as a slow and even process across the whole body. But lungs do not follow this rule. This has been explained by this study. The team studied lung tissue of 60 donors, aging 11 to 80. They utilize single-cell RNA sequencing and then mapped every cell type in the lung. The team then tracked how gene activity and DNA mutations shift over time.
Key Changes in Specific Lung Cells
In this study, AT2 cells that line blood vessels in the lungs and are responsible for producing surfactant to keep air sacs stable and endothelial cells; showed the most dramatic changes. In AT2 cells, the genes responsible for surfactant production became less active over time. Also, the proportion of AT2 cells dropped with age in epithelial cells.
Expert Insight on Gene Regulation and Aging
“Our analysis shows that aging is accompanied by an increase in transcriptional entropy across many cell types in the lung,” said first author Ruben De Man, MD‑PhD student at Yale. “This rising disorder in gene regulation may be a fundamental feature of how our cells lose their organization and stability as we grow older.”
Genetic Changes and Cell Fragility
The study also found that growing disorder in gene activity was linked to increase in somatic mutations and DNA changes. They discovered that not all lung cells age at the same pace and thus, some are more fragile than others.
New Possibilities for Future Treatments
Instead of believing lung aging as an unavoidable decline, they now believe that it may be possible to slow it down or even repair it. The aim is to focus on treatment for most vulnerable cells rather than treating the lungs as a whole.
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only. You should always consult with your healthcare professional for any medical needs.
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