Chaperone Proteins in a Primate Model of Age-Related Metabolic Disease

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Project Summary I plan to study the relationship between heat shock proteins (HSP) 70 and 90 with metabolic disease burden in a novel primate model of aging. These chaperone proteins, particularly HSP70, decrease with aging and are implicated as important mediators of insulin sensitivity and normal vascular function. I will first characterize circulating and tissue levels of HSP70 and 90 across all age groups and relate them to glycemic and vascular health parameters. These endpoints with characterization of individual responses to stress will then be evaluated longitudinally (H10 human years equivalent) in an age-diverse cohort such that the natural history of age-related co-morbidities will be more fully understood. This understanding is requisite prior to studying novel interventions, as proposed in the later years of this training period. I will select primates with low HSP70 for study using a pharmacological agent known to increase HSP70 to substantiate the hypothesized role that this chaperone plays in mediating risk for age-related disease development. My immediate goals are to establish a relationship between chaperone proteins, the stress response, and indices of metabolic disease in monkeys, and enable understanding of individual risk of declining glycemic control and vascular dysfunction in this context. Age-related diseases have a common basis in the degree of glucose exposure and thus indices of glycemic control are central focus. This comprehensive evaluation of aging and disease are important translational steps in establishing a new large animal model of aging and a new biological mechanism. The monkey colony shows spontaneous obesity and diabetes and consumes a western diet which enhances the translational relevance of this research into HSP70's role in aging biology. My long-term career goals involve becoming optimally positioned to take advantage of this colony resource by independent research that is relevant to human health and involves interplay between factors that determine an individual's HSP profile and their resultant trajectory for age-related disease development. The research environment is uniquely suited to my needs by providing access to the monkeys and a comprehensive mentor team that will provide me new expertise in aging, biostatistics, and vascular health.