Hallmark of Aging 4 Proteostasis
June 02, 2024Hallmark of Aging 4, Proteostasis
Whew, I bet that pulls you up short. Can you pronounce that? Do you have a clue why it would be on the list? Or what it even means? Proteostasis. It all starts with your "proteome". That's the universe of all your proteins. Just like the genome is the measurement and stage of all your genes and the metabolome is the whole sum of all your metabolic products made by your genes, the proteome is the universe of your proteins.
Proteins are delicate little creatures. They have to be folded into just the right shape. It can take two or three chains of amino acids to make the final protein. They get tricked out with all sorts of extra sugar molecules and an atom of zinc, or selenium, or cobalt, or whatnot. They have lots of little additives pasted and glued in place. Then, after all that, we ask them to do impossible things incredibly quickly. We take that all for granted. Many enzymes take various compounds and break them into pieces, or add a piece on.
This is not a trivial issue. The accumulation of beta-amyloid occurs in Alzheimer's because of the inappropriate activation of wrong proteins. ALS is associated with mutations in proteins that render them intrinsically prone to misfolding and aggregation. That saturates the mechanisms of protein repair, removal, and turnover that are required for maintenance of the healthy state.
Then there is the whole system of properly recycling old proteins that need to be broken down and their products recaptured. The field of protein maintenance is actually quite complex with whole fields of study in all the details.
Finally, there is the Nrt -2 system (nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) and its effect on proteostasis. The Nrf-2 system was thought to be the master regulator of inflammation but it's turning out to be much more. It is a a key component of the transduction machinery (mobilizing the right DNA in order to activate a process) to maintain proteostasis. In a sense, the Nrf-2 system is a hub that compiles emergency signals derived from misfolded protein accumulation in order to build a coordinated and durable transcriptional response. (Did you get that?). Whew.
www.What will Work for me? I can do something about the Nrf-2 system. We've talked about that before. The Mediterranean diet and the Okinawa diet explained because the vegetables and green foods commonly eaten by them induce Nrf-2 activation. Our Nrf-2 system declines as we age and doing something about it is now possible. The first introduction to that market is the product from Pathways Bioscience called PB-125 that you have to buy directly from them. It's not on Amazon. Buy it. Take one a day. It's just the spice rosemare with luteolin and ashwaghanda. Those three plant foods are synergistic in their Nrf effect. Your proteins will appreciate it.
References: Cell , Redox Biol,
Pop Quiz
1. Why is proteostasis so complicated? Answer: Because every process of life is run by proteins which have thousands of different forms, shapes, means of being folded, extra components, and then exposure of toxins, poisons, oxidation, not to mention recycling and disposal
2. Just what does proteostasis mean? Answer: maintaining the state of proper function of all your proteins. That's life itself .
3. How does the Nrf-2 system interact with proteostasis? Answer: Ah! It appears to be the master controller of turning on the right genes to keep your proteome in tiptop shape.
4. How can I fix that? Answer: Here is my pitch for PB-125. I don't have any financial relationship with them. I just take it myself.
5. Any other suggestions on how to maintain my proteome? Answer: It's a massive topic with huge research going on. Taking plasmalogens allows your membranes to function better. We're going to see more research on that.