FOR 2558:  Interactions of essential trace elements in healthy and diseased elderly (TraceAge)

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 316442145

The homeostasis of trace elements (TE) is affected by nutritional intake, sex, age, and health status. However, interactions of TE under physiological and pathophysiological conditions are poorly characterized. Here we aim to characterize the TE status in women and men of different age (EPIC-Potsdam cohort). To this end, we will measure the TE profiles (Se, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, I) from serum along with novel and established biomarkers of the TE status. These data will be combined to establish age- and sex-specific TE fingerprints of German elderly, and help to identify genetic and environmental modifiers. In order to test the relevance of such TE fingerprints, patients with cardiovascular disease during hospitalized rehabilitation (TEhab cohort) will be studied as a paradigm of severe disease with strong changes in mobility and nutrition. To get further mechanistic insights we will study TE profiles and their functional interactions in different tissues from young and old male and female mice under TE-replete and TE-poor conditions. Treatments with TE combinations in mice and C. elegans will identify TE effects on aging, cellular signaling, neurodegeneration, and immune response as well as interactions with drugs and thyroid hormone metabolism. Our results will broaden the understanding of the importance of TE in health and disease. This will provide a basis for better care and future intervention studies to improve the TE status of seniors and to better protect them from degeneration and age-related diseases.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• Cardiomyocyte Function and Trace Element (TE) Status during Aging: Role of Proteostasis (Applicant Grune, Tilman )
• Consequences of TE dyshomeostasis and TE induced neurotoxicity on inflammation in C. elegans (Applicant Bornhorst, Julia )
• Coordination Funds (Applicant Schwerdtle, Tanja )
• Effects of commonly used drugs on the metabolism of selenium and copper (Applicant Schomburg, Lutz )
• Interaction of trace elements with aging phenotypes, inflammation and wound healing disorders in age-advanced multimorbid patients. (Applicant Norman, Kristina )
• Interactions of trace elements in modulating the immune response during acute and chronic inflammation in mice (Applicant Kipp, Anna Patricia )
• Molecular characterization of trace element uptake in the gastrointestinal tract (Applicant Haase, Hajo )
• Trace element status during aging in the EPIC-Potsdam study (Applicant Schulze, Matthias Bernd )
• Trace element (TE) fingerprinting, genomic stability and neurodegeneration (Applicant Schwerdtle, Tanja )

• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Tanja Schwerdtle