Comparison of the long-term effects of calorie restriction without malnutrition on global gene expression profiles of rat and human skeletal muscle [Human]

With the population of older and overweight individuals on the rise in the Western world, there is an ever greater need to slow the aging processes and reduce the burden of age-associated chronic disease that would significantly improve the quality of human life and reduce economic costs. Caloric restriction (CR), is the most robust and reproducible intervention known to delay aging and to improve healthspan and lifespan across species (1); however, whether this intervention can extend lifespan in humans is still unknown. Here we report that rats and humans exhibit similar responses to long-term CR at both the physiological and molecular levels. CR induced broad phenotypic similarities in both species such as reduced body weight, reduced fat mass and increased the ratio of muscle to fat. Likewise, CR evoked similar species-independent responses in the transcriptional profiles of skeletal muscle. This common signature consisted of three key pathways typically associated with improved health and survival: IGF-1/insulin signaling, mitochondrial biogenesis and inflammation. To our knowledge, these are the first results to demonstrate that long-term CR induces a similar transcriptional profile in two very divergent species, suggesting that such similarities may also translate to lifespan-extending effects in humans as is known to occur in rodents. These findings provide insight into the shared molecular mechanisms elicited by CR and highlight promising pathways for therapeutic targets to combat age-related diseases and promote longevity in humans.

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Mercken EM, Crosby SD, Lamming DW, JeBailey L, Krzysik-Walker S, Villareal DT, Capri M, Franceschi C, Zhang Y, Becker K, Sabatini DM, de Cabo R, Fontana L