- Membership & Community
-
Publications & News
- Journals
-
Newsroom
-
The Physiologist Magazine
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- In Depth
-
Mentoring Forum
- Net Worth
- Take Care
- You … In Charge
- Work. It. Out.
- Working Off-site
- Location, Location, Location?
- Student Support
- Progressing to Postdoc
- Relationship Building
- Let’s Get It Started
- What Do We Value?
- It’s a Postdoc Life
- Coronavirus Contributions
- Creative Communications
- Selection Process
- Conference Connections
- Postdoc Appreciation
- Research Rewards
- Focus on Teaching
- Industry Insights
- Balance Beam
- Post Postdoc
- If You Build It
- Talk It Through
- Forward Bound
- I’ve Earned My PhD. Now What?
- University Life
- Tips for Trainees
- Time Travel
- Policy IQ
- Publish with Polish
- Under the Microscope
- Mentoring Q&A
- The Physiologist Magazine Readers Survey
- Evolution
- Baseline by Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE
- Find Us on Social Media
-
The Physiologist Magazine
-
Professional Development
-
Meetings & Events
-
American Physiology Summit
- #APS2024 Overview
- Abstracts
- Awards at the Summit
- Award Lectures
- Career Networking Lunch Form
- Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Industry Partners
- Keynote Speaker—Brian Kobilka, MD
- Keynote Speaker—Jessica Meir, PhD
- Mobile App
- NIH and NSF Program Officer Panel Discussion Form
- Off-site Summit Meetups
- Physical Poster Information
- PhysioHub
- Pre-Summit Events
- Registration
- Section & Group Banquet Tickets
- Speaker Audiovisual Instructions
- Summit FAQs
- Summit Newsroom
- Summit Store
- Travel & Transportation
- Undergraduate Program Book
- Liability Waiver
- Summit Call for Proposals
- Industry Partners
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Orientation Agenda
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Networking Luncheon Agenda
- Women in Physiology Networking Event Agenda
-
2023
- APS 2023 Call for Proposals
- Shocklogic Test
- Team 2023 Task Force
- Shaping the Summit
- Schedule at a Glance
- Pre-Summit Events
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop Registration
- Section & Groups Banquet Tickets
- Summit Store
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop
- Press Registration
- Meet the Organizers
- Keynote Speaker—Terrie Williams, PhD
- Keynote Speaker—David Julius, PhD
- Industry Workshop Information
- Important Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Game Changers
- Distinguished Lecturers
- Building APS 2023
- Awards at the Summit
- 2023 Summit Information
- American Physiology Summit Program
- 2023 Summit Newsroom
- 2024
- Scientific Integrity Policy
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise Conference
- From Concept to Classroom
- Webinars
- Related Meetings
- Future APS Conferences
-
Past APS Conferences
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise
- Seventeenth International Conference on Endothelin (ET-17)
- New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning (2022)
- Control of Renal Function in Health and Disease Conference
- Comparative Physiology: From Organisms to Omics in an Uncertain World
- Conference Policies
-
American Physiology Summit
- Awards
-
Career & Professional Development
-
Career Gateway
-
Resources
- Transcript—Leading Through Conflict and Difficult Conversations
- Transcript—Managing Conflict with Colleagues
- Transcript—Leading a Team Through Conflict
- Transcript—Providing Difficult Feedback
- Transcript—Team Dynamics and Culture Primer
- Transcript—Building a Team
- Transcript—Leading a Team Assigned to You
- Transcript—Creating a Team Culture
-
Resources
- Career Navigator
- Center for Physiology Education
- Job Board
- Mentoring
- APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
-
Career Gateway
-
Meetings & Events
-
Advocacy & Resources
- Policy Areas
-
Resources
- Researcher Resources
- Educator Resources
- Trainee Resources
- Student Resources
-
APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
- Augusta University
- Des Moines University
- East Tennessee State University
- George Washington University
- Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences—Biomedical Engineering & Physiology
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- Michigan State University
- New York Medical College
- Nova Southeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Saint Louis University
- Texas A&M University
- Texas A&M University Medical Physiology
- Stony Brook University
- The University of Iowa
- The University of Mississippi Medical Center
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University at Buffalo
- University of Colorado
- University of Delaware
- University of Florida
- University of Louisville
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri-Biomedical Sciences
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- University of Oregon
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)
- University of Texas Health Science Center
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Wayne State University
- Wake Forest University
- Physiology Department Catalog Submission Form
- Career Gateway
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Advocacy
- About APS
Mouse study shows senescence, impaired surfactant performance in older animals
Rockville, Md. (November 5, 2020)—A new study in mice explores the effect of aging on the regenerative properties of lung cells after lung injury. The study is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology. It was chosen as an APSselect article for November.
Older adults are more likely to die from lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome than their younger counterparts, often due to inflammation and fluid accumulation (edema) that leads to reduced lung function and low blood oxygen levels. Alveolar epithelial type 2 (AE2) cells, found in the area of the lung where exchange of gases takes place, play a crucial role in normal lung function and recovery after injury. These cells produce and secrete a compound (surfactant) that prevents the balloon-like structure in the lungs (alveoli) from collapsing during breathing. Edema and inflammation can cause surfactant to inactivate, which may contribute to collapse of the alveoli. In addition, changes in surfactant protein expression can increase the severity of lung disease or injury.
Previous research suggests that the AE2 cells in aged mice show signs of senescence. Senescence is the process of deterioration, reduced function and a decrease in cell proliferation that occurs with aging. Cell proliferation is critical for regeneration and repair after an injury. However, “the consequences of AE2 cell senescence on the progression and regeneration of [acute lung injury] in elderly patients remains unknown,” authors of a new study wrote.
The researchers studied a mouse model of acute lung injury and recovery in young and old mice. The research team analyzed overall lung function, the number of AE2 cells in each lung, and surfactant function and properties. The lungs of the old mice showed signs of severe inflammation and edema compared to the young animals. While all of the young mice recovered from injury, 60% of the old animals did not recover. In addition, surfactant performance was impaired in sick and healthy old mice, suggesting that surfactant function declines with age even without the presence of disease. With acute lung injury, AE2 cell function was severely impaired in old compared with young mice and showed signs of senescence with limited proliferation and decline in surfactant protein expression and metabolisms.
Compared to young mice, the AE2 cells in the old mice “were less resistant to injury, leading to impaired surfactant metabolism, increased inflammation, cell senescence and decreased regeneration in [acute lung injury] of old mice—factors that all support a worse pathology and limited survival in [acute lung injury] with advancing age,” the researchers wrote. “We show that [acute lung injury] promotes cell senescence and limits regenerative capacity in AE2 in old mice.”
Read the full article, “Aging impairs alveolar epithelial type II cell function in acute lung injury,” published in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology. It is highlighted as one of this month’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program. Read all of this month’s selected research articles.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact the APS Communications Office or call 301.634.7314. Find more research highlights in our Newsroom.
Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.
Related Content
- APS Congratulates 2023 Nobel Laureates Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman
- APS Recognized with Marketing and Communications Awards
- American Physiological Society Announces 2024 Award Recipients
- High-salt Diet in Rats Slows Some Pathways of Kidney Metabolism
- Passive Stretch before Cardio Protects Blood Vessel Health
- Blood Flow-restricted Resistance Exercise Could Help Counteract Age-related Muscle Loss
- Changing Dosing Methods Means Fewer Mice Needed to Study Lung Infections
Contact Us
For questions, comments or to share your story ideas, email us or call 301.634.7314.