Within this program several studies are on-going The failure of regulatory proteins or genes to effectively coordinate specific pathways can lead to metabolic diseases. Noncoding RNAs have been recently identified as an important posttranscriptional regulator of gene expression. microRNA-33 contributes to the regulation of lipid metabolism. With samples from our colony, it was reported that human, mouse, and monkeys have a highly conserved passenger strand, microRNA-33* which accumulates to steady state levels. We also contributed to a collaborative study which described the role of microRNA-33b in regulating lipid and glucose metabolism in a manner similar to humans. microRNAs have also been identified in serum and are thought to play a role in cancers and cardiovascular disease and may serve as a biomarker for age-related disease. We have contributed serum from monkeys over a large age range to analyze microRNA expression and compare it to that from humans. Analysis is ongoing. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from young and old rhesus monkeys in our colony and used to identify an evolutionary-conserved subset of B cells which increases with age in humans, monkeys and mice. Studies are on-going to better understand the role of these particular cells in age-related immune dysfunction. To better understand muscle dysfunction and factors contributing to sarcopenia, we are assessing muscle and mitochondria function of young and old monkeys in comparison to young and old humans. Several samples have been collect and the analysis is on-going.
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