Aging involves a multi-system physiological deterioration, including loss of muscle mass and strength, neuronal degeneration, dysregulated metabolism, and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Aging-associated gut-microbiota dysbiosis found to be associated with aging-related pathologies. Such observations highlight microbiota dysbiosis as a contributing factor for aging and suggest the interplay between aging and gut microbiota. However, how the gut-microbiota composition changes with aging and what are its consequences on the host, especially on host aging, is yet unknown.
To address these questions, I have taken advantage of Caenorhabditis elegans, a useful model for aging and microbiome research. I want to characterizing age-dependent changes in host gene expression patterns and changes in gut microbiota composition. I have already analyzed the microbiome data and have characterized age dependent changes in microbiome composition. With the help of Discovery Student Team I want to go ahead and analyze RNA sequencing data that will give me an idea about effect of changing gut microbiome composition on host aging and vice-versa.
