Decipher reliable biomarkers of brain aging by integrating literature-based evidence with interactome data

Abstract

Brain ageing: Network map implicates immune-related genes The body’s immune response to microbes and damaged cells is associated with age-related cognitive decline, a gene network analysis shows. Jisook Moon from CHA University in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues used published data on gene interactions to construct a network map of molecular determinants behind ageing in the brain. They identified clusters of genes involved in regulating immune responses, in particular those associated with the so-called complement system, which is responsible for activating inflammatory proteins that help clear the body of pathogens and infected host cells. The researchers suggest that complement-related genes may serve as a “master regulator” of brain aging. They propose that measuring expression of these genes could serve as a diagnostic biomarker for the reduced activity of synaptic transmission in brain that leads to cognitive impairment.