Alaska Native People: Diet, Westernization and Health

Prior to westernization, the Alaska Native diet was one that included high omega-3 fatty acids and proteins and low in saturated fats and cholesterol. This may or may not provide protection against certain diseases. As westernization continues to changes the diet with each new generation, it is of great interest as to how it affects Alaska Native health. Alaska Native health has declined substantially within the last decade, and seems to continuously decline at an alarming rate. Investigating both the changing diet and the effects on Alaska Native health may provide a possible cause for this increasing health problem

Human DNA polymerase β initiates DNA synthesis during long-patch repair of reduced AP sites in DNA

Simple base damages are repaired through a short-patch base excision pathway where a single damaged nucleotide is removed and replaced. DNA polymerase β (Pol β) is responsible for the repair synthesis in this pathway and also removes a 5′-sugar phosphate residue by catalyzing a β-elimination reaction. How ever, some DNA lesions that render deoxyribose resistant to β-elimination are removed through a long-patch repair pathway that involves strand displacement synthesis and removal of the generated flap by specific endonuclease. Three human DNA polymerases (Pol β, Pol δ and Pol ε) have been proposed to play a role in this pathway, however the identity of the polymerase involved and the polymerase selection mechanism are not clear. In repair reactions catalyzed by cell extracts we have used a substrate containing a reduced apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) site resistant to β-elimination and inhibitors that selectively affect different DNA polymerases. Using this approach we find that in human cell extracts Pol β is the major DNA polymerase incorporating the first nucleotide during repair of reduced AP sites, thus initiating long-patch base excision repair synthesis

The long lifespan of two bat species is correlated with resistance to protein oxidation and enhanced protein homeostasis

Altered structure, and hence function, of cellular macromolecules caused by oxidation can contribute to loss of physiological function with age. Here, we tested whether the lifespan of bats, which generally live far longer than predicted by their size, could be explained by reduced protein damage relative to short-lived mice. We show significantly lower protein oxidation (carbonylation) in Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) relative to mice, and a trend for lower oxidation in samples from cave myotis bats (Myotis velifer) relative to mice. Both species of bat show in vivo and in vitro resistance to protein oxidation under conditions of acute oxidative stress. These bat species also show low levels of protein ubiquitination in total protein lysates along with reduced proteasome activity, suggesting diminished protein damage and removal in bats. Lastly, we show that bat-derived protein fractions are resistant to urea-induced protein unfolding relative to the level of unfolding detected in fractions from mice. Together, these data suggest that long lifespan in some bat species might be regulated by very efficient maintenance of protein homeostasis.—Salmon, A. B., Leonard, S., Masamsetti, V., Pierce, A., Podlutsky, A. J., Podlutskaya, N., Richardson, A., Austad, S. N., Chaudhuri, A. R. The long lifespan of two bat species is correlated with resistance to protein oxidation and enhanced protein homeostasis

Aging-Induced Dysregulation of Dicer1-Dependent MicroRNA Expression Impairs Angiogenic Capacity of Rat Cerebromicrovascular Endothelial Cells.

Age-related impairment of angiogenesis is likely to play a central role in cerebromicrovascular rarefaction and development of vascular cognitive impairment, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. To test the hypothesis that dysregulation of Dicer1 (ribonuclease III, a key enzyme of the microRNA [miRNA] machinery) impairs endothelial angiogenic capacity in aging, primary cerebromicrovascular endothelial cells (CMVECs) were isolated from young (3 months old) and aged (24 months old) Fischer 344 × Brown Norway rats. We found an age-related downregulation of Dicer1 expression both in CMVECs and in small cerebral vessels isolated from aged rats. In aged CMVECs, Dicer1 expression was increased by treatment with polyethylene glycol-catalase. Compared with young cells, aged CMVECs exhibited altered miRNA expression profile, which was associated with impaired proliferation, adhesion to vitronectin, collagen and fibronectin, cellular migration (measured by a wound-healing assay using electric cell-substrate impedance sensing technology), and impaired ability to form capillary-like structures. Overexpression of Dicer1 in aged CMVECs partially restored miRNA expression profile and significantly improved angiogenic processes. In young CMVECs, downregulation of Dicer1 (siRNA) resulted in altered miRNA expression profile associated with impaired proliferation, adhesion, migration, and tube formation, mimicking the aging phenotype. Collectively, we found that Dicer1 is essential for normal endothelial angiogenic processes, suggesting that age-related dysregulation of Dicer1-dependent miRNA expression may be a potential mechanism underlying impaired angiogenesis and cerebromicrovascular rarefaction in aging