When it comes to vitamin D, most adults exhibit either frank deficiency, which results in clear clinical symptoms, or insufficiency, which often goes undetected. But how that insufficiency impacts physical health and the vulnerability of older adults to frailty as they age has been difficult to determine.

Now a University at Buffalo study of 24–28–month-old mice, the equivalent of 65-to-80-year-old adults, has found that frailty can be slowed with what might be considered “over” supplementation with vitamin D, referred to as “hypersufficiency.”

Published Sept. 30 in Nutrients, the research builds on previous work that Kenneth L. Seldeen, Ph.D., first author and research assistant professor in the Department of Medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, has been conducting for more than a decade with colleague Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and director of the Center for Successful Aging, both in the Jacobs School.

Gets advanced, but some might like.

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A research team from Cologne has discovered that a change in the DNA structure—more precisely in the chromatin—plays a decisive role in the recovery phase after DNA damage. The key is a double occupation by two methyl groups on the DNA packaging protein histone H3 (H3K4me2). The discovery was made by scientists under the direction of Prof. Björn Schumacher of the Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research CECAD, the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), and the Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Disease at the University of Cologne. The specific change enables genes to be reactivated and proteins to be produced after damage: The cells regain their balance and the organism recovers. The protective role of H3K4me2 was identified in experiments with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The study has now been published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

The genome in every human cell is damaged on a daily basis, for example in the skin by UV radiation from the sun. Damage to the DNA causes diseases such as cancer, influences development, and accelerates aging. Congenital malfunctions in DNA repair can lead to extremely accelerated aging in rare hereditary diseases. Therefore, preservation and reconstruction processes are particularly important to ensure development and to maintain tissue function. DNA, which is rolled up on packaging proteins—the histones—like on cable drums, is regulated by methyl groups. Various proteins are responsible for placing methyl groups on histones or removing them. The number of groups on the packaging proteins affects the activity of genes and thus the protein production of the cell.

In experiments with the nematode, the research team showed that after repairing damaged DNA, two methyl groups were increasingly found on the DNA packages. Furthermore, they found that errors in placing these two methyl groups on the histones (H3K4me2) accelerated the damage-induced aging process, while increased position of this histone alteration prolongs the lifespan after DNA damage. By controlling the proteins that either set or remove these methyl groups, the resistance to DNA damage—and thus the aging process of the animals—could be influenced.

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Curious about science’s latest effort to reverse aging? This podcast describes attainable treatments and the science behind theses gene therapy processes: Elizabeth Parrish discusses BioViva’s anti-aging gene therapy products and research. Even better, she brings a different perspective—she has had viral vector gene therapy herself.

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Watch Liz Parrish’s talk given on Sunday October 4, 2020, during the celebration of the annual event “Revolution Against Aging and Death Festival” (RAADfest 2020).

During her presentation Liz describes for the first time what BioViva Sciences and its exclusive partner Integrated Health Systems (IHS), are doing on the fronts of 1) Patient Access: 2) Research & Development and 3) Data Science.

Due to the pandemic situation caused by SARS-CoV-2 this year the Event was celebrated using online media technologies.

To watch all the presentations given during RAADfest 2020 visit the following website and follow the instructions:

https://www.raadfest.com/