The integration of cellular stress response, immune function and aging in long- and short-lived ecotypes of garter snake

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Aging is the predictable and persistent breakdown of physiological processes with advancing age. In humans, this is marked by many changes such as: muscle atrophy, central obesity, slowed metabolism, loss of bone mass, decreasing neurological function, increasing risks of geriatric cancers, increased risk of infectious disease, etc. Many laboratory studies (e.g., on mice, rats, non-human primates) have shown that individuals vary in how quickly they senesce (deteriorate with advancing age) and that much of this individual variation is due to differences among individuals in cellular stress responses and immune function. Moreover, certain populations of humans have been identified that are very resistant to senescence, and the underlying genes - when identified, are often involved in stress response and immune function. In this project, the investigators will conduct experiments in a group of organisms that are highly resistant to senescence (reptiles). The focus is on natural populations of garter snakes that have evolved different lifespans. They will generate a new model to study aging, and in doing so uncover the mechanisms that link individual deterioration to overall organismal health in a system of populations exposed to natural hazards. Specifically, they will answer the question of how the immune and cellular stress response systems modulate senescence in a life-history framework, both as independent systems and as synergistic interacting systems. In addition, they will train high school teachers, high school students, undergraduates, and post-graduates in a variety of physiological assays to measure aging, and expand their exposure to the biology of aging. This research will add to the body of scientific knowledge to elucidate the physiological mechanisms that underlie aging rates in vertebrates, including humans.