Open AccessNatural disaster and immunological aging in a nonhuman primate
Author(s) -
Marina Watowich,
Kenneth L. Chiou,
Michæl J. Montague,
Noah D. Simons,
Julie E. Horvath,
Angelina Ruíz-Lambides,
Melween I. Martínez,
James P. Higham,
Lauren J. N. Brent,
Michael L. Platt,
Noah SnyderMackler,
Lauren J. N. Brent,
James P. Higham,
Melween I. Martínez,
Michael J. Montague,
Michael L. Platt,
Noah SnyderMackler
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2121663119
Subject(s) - proteostasis , immune system , biology , disease , phenotype , gene , gene expression , immunology , immunosenescence , demography , evolutionary biology , medicine , genetics , sociology
Significance Survivors of extreme adverse events, including natural disasters, often exhibit chronic inflammation and early onset of age-related diseases. Adversity may therefore accelerate aging via the immune system, which is sensitive to lived experiences. We tested if experiencing a hurricane was associated with immune gene expression in a population of free-ranging macaques. Exposure to Hurricane Maria broadly recapitulated age-associated molecular changes, including disruptions of protein folding genes, greater inflammatory immune cell marker gene expression, and older biological aging by an average of 2 y—approximately 7 to 8 y of the human lifespan. Together, our findings suggest that experiencing an extreme hurricane is associated with alterations in immune cell gene regulation similar to aging, potentially accelerating aspects of the aging process.