Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

A framework for intestinal barrier dysfunction in aging

Nature Aging volume 3, pages 1172–1174 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

The intestinal epithelium serves as a barrier that facilitates interaction between intrinsic and environmental factors. Aging is accompanied by the gradual deterioration of this barrier. We postulate that barrier dysfunction results from defects in epithelial membrane trafficking that exacerbate age-related metabolic imbalances. Herein, we integrate barrier integrity, protein homeostasis, membrane trafficking and intracellular lipid sensing into an age-determining mechanism.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Barrier integrity, protein homeostasis, membrane trafficking and intracellular lipid sensing synergize to fend off the aging process.

References

  1. Tran, L. & Greenwood-Van Meerveld, B. J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 68, 1045–1056 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Resnik-Docampo, M. et al. Nat. Cell Biol. 19, 52–59 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Helander, H. F. & Fändriks, L. Scand. J. Gastroenterol. 49, 681–689 (2014).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Ubelmann, F. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 110, E1380–E1389 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Suzuki, T. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 70, 631–659 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Rera, M., Clark, R. I. & Walker, D. W. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 109, 21528–21533 (2012).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Dambroise, E. et al. Sci. Rep. 6, 23523 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Egge, N. et al. Dev. Cell 51, 587–601.e7 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Ben-Zvi, A., Miller, E. A. & Morimoto, R. I. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 14914–14919 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Watterson, A. et al. Cell Rep 41, 111493 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Stenmark, H. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 10, 513–525 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Goldstein, J. L. & Brown, M. S. Nature 343, 425–430 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Watterson, A. et al. Nature 605, 736–740 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Liu, A. et al. J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 75, 1284–1292 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Wilms, E. et al. Sci. Rep. 10, 475 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number F31GM140620. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. L.T. is supported by 1F31GM140620-01A1. P.M.D. and R.S.F are supported by the Clayton Foundation for Research, the Welch Foundation (I-2061-20210327), the NIH (R01AG076529, R01AG061338), and the Hevolution/American Federation of Aging Research.

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Lexus Tatge, Rene Solano Fonseca.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Lexus Tatge, Rene Solano Fonseca & Peter M. Douglas

  2. Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Peter M. Douglas

Authors
  1. Lexus Tatge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rene Solano Fonseca
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Peter M. Douglas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

L.T. and R.S.F. conceptualized, wrote and edited the manuscript. P.M.D. conceptualized and edited the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter M. Douglas.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Aging thanks the anonymous reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tatge, L., Solano Fonseca, R. & Douglas, P.M. A framework for intestinal barrier dysfunction in aging. Nat Aging 3, 1172–1174 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-023-00492-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-023-00492-0

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing