Joint U.S.-Italy Symposium on Protein Metabolism in Aging; Pisa, April 1989

该奖项将支持由纽约州立大学布法罗分校的达雷尔·多伊尔教授和莫顿·罗斯坦教授领导的一组美国研究人员，以及由比萨大学的e·贝加米尼教授和p·l·伊帕塔教授领导的一组意大利研究人员就衰老过程中的蛋白质代谢问题开展的合作研讨会。蛋白质代谢的改变是衰老过程的一个重要方面。虽然已知发生了许多变化，但这些变化背后的机制却没有明确定义。例如，来自老年动物各种组织的无细胞蛋白质合成系统的功能不如来自同等年轻制剂的无细胞蛋白质合成系统有效，差异非常显著。最近的研究表明，年老的大鼠肝核糖体缺乏一种存在于年轻核糖体中的蛋白质因子。在更广泛的范围内，尽管原因尚不清楚，但蛋白质的周转已被证明随着年龄的增长而大幅放缓。随着年龄的增长，酶结构的改变也可能导致生理上的后果。激素受体的修饰也有望在代谢调节中发挥作用。这些是目前和正在进行的与衰老和蛋白质变化有关的各种研究的几个例子。召开这次会议的目的是增加我们对蛋白质结构、调节和代谢的了解，因为它与衰老有关。虽然也有其他与蛋白质周转有关的会议，但迄今为止还没有一个会议关注与年龄相关的蛋白质结构和代谢变化，以及重要相关领域的选定主题。鉴于美国的人口老龄化问题，这一课题是基础研究日益关注的课题之一。美国的研究人员和意大利的主要研究人员齐聚一堂，意大利对老龄化研究的强烈关注已经发展起来，这有可能导致成功的信息交流和未来在这一重要领域的合作项目。

This award will support a collaborative workshop between a group of U.S. researchers headed by Professors Darrell Doyle and Morton Rothstein of SUNY at Buffalo, and a similar group of Italian researchers headed by Professors E. Bergamini and P. L. Ipata of the University of Pisa on the subject of protein metabolism in aging. Alterations of protein metabolism represent an important facet of the aging process. While it is known that a number of changes take place, the mechanisms behind these changes are poorly defined. For example, cell-free protein synthesizing systems from various tissues of old animals function less effectively than those from equivalent young preparations with highly significant differences. More recent work has demonstrated that old rat liver ribosomes are deficient in a protein factor present in young ribosomes. On a broader scale, protein turnover has been shown to slow substantially with age, although the reasons are obscure. Alterations in enzyme structure with age is an area that can be presumed to lead to physiological consequences also. Modifications of hormone receptors would also be expected to play a role in regulation of metabolism regulation. These are a few examples of a variety of current and ongoing investigations related to aging and protein changes. The purpose of convening the proposed meeting is to increase our understanding of what is known about protein structure, regulation, and metabolism as it relates to aging. While there have been other meetings related to protein turnover, none so far has focused on age-related changes in protein structure and metabolism, together with selected topics in important related areas. Giving the aging population in the U.S. this topic is one of increasing interest for basic research. A workshop getting together researchers in the U.S. with leading researchers in Italy, where a strong focus on aging research has developed, has the potential to lead to successful exchange of information and to future collaborative projects in this important area.