MOLECULAR-BIOLOGY OF AGING - AGE-ASSOCIATED ATTENUATION IN THE REGULATION OF THE EXPRESSION OF STRESS-RESPONSE GENES

The attenuation in the capacity to respond to stress is one of the maj or characteristics of ageing organisms. There are several cellular pat hways of response to various types of stress, We briefly discuss the N F kappa B pathway that is altered with age. as was primarily shown by Papaconstantinou. We suggest that another important transcription fact or system that should be investigated is that involved in the response to hypoxia. Our own work shows that the capacity to respond to elevat ed temperatures is considerably diminished in ageing organisms. Our st udies demonstrate that this is due to faults in the control of the act ivation elf the transcription factor, HSF, which is a major protein th at activates many stress response genes. The nature of the alteration of the control of HSF with age is described and discussed.