Scientists have identified new genes that may play a key role in how muscles age, potentially leading to new treatments that could slow down the muscle aging process.
This exciting discovery comes from a study by Nottingham Trent University in collaboration with Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, and Anglia Ruskin University.
The findings were recently published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.
Muscle aging is a natural process that affects everyone as they grow older.
It causes people to lose muscle mass, strength, and endurance, which can lead to more falls and physical disabilities.
As of now, physical exercise is the only recommended way to slow down muscle aging and treat sarcopenia, a condition where people lose muscle at an accelerated rate.
In this study, the researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze gene data from two groups: younger adults aged 21-43 and older adults aged 63-79.
The goal was to understand how genes influence muscle aging and how exercise affects these genes.
They focused on 200 genes that showed the strongest connection to aging and exercise. One gene in particular, called USP54, stood out for its important role in muscle aging and deterioration.
To confirm their findings, the team examined muscle tissue samples from older adults and found that USP54 was highly active in these individuals.
This suggests that USP54 could be a target for future treatments aimed at slowing down muscle aging and preventing conditions like sarcopenia.
In addition to USP54, the scientists also discovered several other genes linked to the benefits of resistance exercise, which helps maintain muscle strength and mass. These exercise-related genes could help researchers develop better exercise programs for older adults, reducing their risk of falls and physical disabilities.
Dr. Lívia Santos, a specialist in musculoskeletal biology at Nottingham Trent University, emphasized the importance of this work.
“We want to find genes that can help delay the effects of aging and extend a person’s healthspan—the period of life spent in good health. Using AI, we have identified genes and pathways related to muscle aging that were previously unknown,” she explained.
This groundbreaking research could pave the way for new treatments that target muscle aging at the genetic level, offering hope for older adults looking to stay active and independent for longer. While more research is needed, this study is a major step forward in understanding how our muscles age and how we might slow down this process in the future.
