Circadian Biology of Aging Unit

Victoria Acosta-Rodriguez, Ph.D., Chief

The CBAU will investigate how circadian clocks age and contribute to the onset of chronic diseases. Circadian clocks control 24h rhythms in physiology, energy cycles, immune function, and longevity-related pathways. Dysregulation in these endogenous time-keeping mechanisms, due to aging or lifestyle, is detrimental to health and lifespan. Our team seeks to understand mechanisms of aging by studying the changes that occur in our daily physiology as organisms grow older. We will leverage modern technologies ranging from multi-omics to behavioral readouts to discover systemic markers and actionable targets for preventing or reversing age-related diseases. Additionally, we will investigate interventions to enhance circadian function, with the ultimate goal of alleviating hallmarks of aging and improve overall quality of life.

Portfolio/Research Areas

• Physiology, Metabolism and Behavior

• Molecular Biology & multi-omics

• Mammalian Systems Biology

• Biomarkers of Aging

• Interventions

Findings and Publications

Research Articles

1. Acosta-Rodríguez VA*; Rijo-Ferreira F; van Rosmalen L; Izumo M; Park N; Joseph C; Hepler C; Thorne A; Stubblefield, J; Bass J; Green, CB*; Takahashi*, JS (2024). “Misaligned feeding uncouples daily rhythms within brown adipose tissue and between peripheral clocks”. Cell Reports 43, 8. PMID: 39046875

2. Kembro J; Flesia A; Acosta-Rodríguez VA, Takahashi JS, Nieto PS (2024). "Dietary restriction modulates ultradian rhythms and autocorrelation properties in mice behavior". Commun Biol 7, 303. PMID: 38461321

3. Lu A, Fei Z, Haghani A, Robeck TR, Zoller J, Li CZ, Lowe R, Yan Q, Zhang J, Vu H, Ablaeva J, Acosta-Rodriguez V et al. (2023) Universal DNA methylation age across mammalian tissues . Nature Aging; doi.org/10.1038/s43587-023-00462-6

4. Haghani A, Li CZ, Robeck TR, Zhang J, Lu AT, Ablaeva, J, Acosta-Rodríguez VA et al. (2023) DNA Methylation Networks Underlying Mammalian Traits . Science; 381, eabq5693. DOI:10.1126/science.abq5693

5. Acosta-Rodríguez VA, Rijo-Ferreira F, Izumo M, Xu P, Wight-Carter M, Green CB & Takahashi JS (2022). Circadian alignment of early onset caloric restriction promotes longevity in male C57BL/6J mice . Science; 376(6598):1192-202. PMID: 35511946.

Highlights:

- Greenhill C. (2022) Timing of feeding for longevity in mice. Nat Rev Endocrinol; 18(8):457. PMID: 35624140.

- Deota S, Panda S. (2022) Aligning mealtimes to live longer. Science; 376(6598):1159-1160. PMID: 35679410.

- Eckel-Mahan K. (2022) The importance of “when” in calorie restriction-induced lifespan extension . J Cardiovasc Aging.10.20517/jca.2022.40

6. Rijo-Ferreira F, Acosta-Rodríguez V, Abel J, Kornblum I, Bento I, Kilaru G, Klerman E, Mota M & Takahashi JS (2020). The malaria parasite has instrinsic rhythms . Science;368(6492):746-753. PMID: 32409471

7. Acosta-Rodríguez VA, de Groot MHM, Rijo-Ferreira F, Green CB, and Takahashi JS. (2017). Mice under Caloric Restriction Self-Impose a Temporal Restriction of Food Intake as Revealed by an Automated Feeder System . Cell Metab; 5;26(1):267-277.e2. PMID: 28683292

Review Article

Acosta-Rodríguez VA, Rijo-Ferreira F, Green CB, Takahashi JS. Importance of circadian timing for aging and longevity . Nat Commun; 12(1): 2862. PMID: 34001884.