Advancing Research
by funding Grant Programs and Fellowships
Driving Innovation
by guiding studies such as the FAST Initiative, the SuperAgers Initiative, and the TAME Trial
Furthering the Field
by supporting the infrastructure of three NIA Initiatives and leading the Amplifying Geroscience Initiative.
Top Breakthroughs driven by AFAR Experts
Delaying Disease by Targeting Aging
Saving Costs by Extending Healthspan
What are the Hallmarks of Aging?
How and Why Do We Age?
What is Geroscience?
What is the Longevity Dividend?
What's Next in aging research?
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a network of membranes found throughout a cell and connected to the nucleus. Stress on the ER has been shown to play an important role in aging and the development of many age-related human diseases, such as diabetes and cancer.
Cells adapt to ER stress by activating a protective mechanism known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR restores ER homeostasis by degrading misfolded proteins, inhibiting translation, and facilitating protein folding and secretion.
Although ER stress and protein misfolding are increasingly recognized as contributing factors to aging and aging-related diseases, the role of the UPR in regulating lifespan is not completely understood. Dr. Labunksyy and his team will explore the role of the UPR in aging using yeast as a model system. The team recently performed a forward genetic screen to identify yeast mutants that are resistant to ER stress induced by tunicamycin, a protein-inhibiting antibiotic. Dr. Labunskyy hopes to characterize the mechanisms of ER stress resistance in these mutants and test whether improved ER protein homeostasis promotes longevity. The team will also test whether activating the UPR will improve lifespan in yeast.
Dr. Labunskyy’s work will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the link between ER stress resistance and longevity. This could facilitate the development of new therapeutic strategies to delay the aging process in humans.
