Early aging-associated phenotypes in Bub3/Rae1 haploinsufficient mice

J Cell Biol. 2006 Feb 13;172(4):529-40. doi: 10.1083/jcb.200507081.

Abstract

Aging is a highly complex biological process that is believed to involve multiple mechanisms. Mice that have small amounts of the mitotic checkpoint protein BubR1 age much faster than normal mice, but whether other mitotic checkpoint genes function to prevent the early onset of aging is unknown. In this study, we show that several aging-associated phenotypes appear early in mice that are double haploinsufficient for the mitotic checkpoint genes Bub3 and Rae1 but not in mice that are single haploinsufficient for these genes. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) from Bub3/Rae1 haploinsufficient mice undergo premature senescence and accumulate high levels of p19, p53, p21, and p16, whereas MEFs from single haploinsufficient mice do not. Furthermore, although BubR1 hypomorphic mice have less aneuploidy than Bub3/Rae1 haploinsufficient mice, they age much faster. Our findings suggest that early onset of aging-associated phenotypes in mice with mitotic checkpoint gene defects is linked to cellular senescence and activation of the p53 and p16 pathways rather than to aneuploidy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Aging, Premature / genetics*
  • Aneuploidy
  • Animals
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics*
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone
  • Haplotypes
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Mutant Strains
  • Mutation
  • Neoplasms / physiopathology
  • Nuclear Matrix-Associated Proteins / genetics*
  • Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Proteins / genetics*
  • Phenotype
  • Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins

Substances

  • Bub3 protein, mouse
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone
  • Nuclear Matrix-Associated Proteins
  • Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Proteins
  • Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins
  • Rae1 protein, mouse