Biology subjects

Pettan-Brewer, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Pettan-Brewer, C..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Morphological features of the domestic house cricket (Acheta domesticus) for translational aging studies

Aging alters morphology and locomotor function in diverse organisms, yet standardized model systems for studying these changes remain limited to a relatively few species. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of age- and sex-dependent morphological variations in house crickets (Acheta domesticus), integrating refined husbandry protocols to enhance reproducibility and translational relevance. We observed progressive increases in body weight, length, and appendage dimensions with age, with pronounced sexual dimorphism emerging post-maturity. Structural adaptations, including increased femoral volume and cross-sectional area, suggest compensatory mechanisms for age-related declines in muscle efficiency, while reduced hind leg-to-body length ratios indicate potential biomechanical constraints on locomotion. Antennal growth patterns highlight prolonged sensory investment, potentially offsetting declining mobility in aging individuals. To ensure data consistency, we implemented a standardized husbandry framework incorporating self-determined photoperiods, co-housing both sexes, and controlled diet and hydration strategies. Our results underscore the necessity of harmonizing environmental conditions in gerontological research, as variations in lighting, substrate availability, and microbiome exposure may significantly impact physiological resilience and behavioral fidelity. Future work should explore the influence of microbiome diversity on lifespan and stress resilience while refining methodologies for cricket rearing from egg to adulthood. By bridging invertebrate and vertebrate aging research, this study positions house crickets as a scalable, high-throughput model for investigating age-related functional decline, behavioral plasticity, and lifespan-extending interventions. Integrating behavioral assays, biomechanical analyses, and molecular markers of aging will further elucidate the interplay between morphology, function, and longevity, advancing the utility of crickets in comparative geroscience.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2024

Comparison of Age-Related Decline and Behavioral Validity in C57BL/6 and CB6F1 Mice

Variability in physical resilience to aging prompts a comprehensive examination of underlying mechanisms across organs and individuals. We conducted a detailed exploration of behavioral and physiological differences between C57BL/6 and CB6F1 mice across various age groups. In behavioral assays, B6 mice displayed superior performance in rotarod tasks but higher anxiety while CB6F1 mice exhibited a decline in short-term memory with age. Grip strength, long-term memory, and voluntary wheel running declined similarly with age in both strains. Examining physiological phenotypes, B6 mice exhibited lower body fat percentages across ages compared to CB6F1 mice, though cataract severity worsened with age in both strains. Analysis of cardiac functions revealed differences between strains, with worsening left ventricular hypertrophy and structural heart abnormalities with age in CB6F1 mice along with higher blood pressure than B6. Lesion scores showed an age-related increase in heart, kidney, and liver lesions in both strains, while lung lesions worsened with age only in CB6F1 mice. This study underscores the validity of behavioral assays and geropathology assessment in reflecting age-related decline and emphasizes the importance of considering strain specificity when using mouse models to study human aging.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2021

PathoClock and PhysioClock in mice recapitulate human multimorbidity and heterogeneous aging

Multimorbidity is a public health concern and an essential component of aging and healthspan but understudied because investigative tools are lacking that can be translatable to capture similarities and differences of the aging process across species and variability between individuals and individual organs. To help address this need, body organ disease number (BODN) borrowed from human studies was applied to C57BL/6 (B6) and CB6F1 mouse strains at 8, 16, 24 and 32 months of age, as a measure of systems morbidity based on pathology lesions to develop a mouse PathoClock resembling clinically based Body Clock in humans, using Bayesian inference. A mouse PhysioClock was also developed based on measures of physiological domains including cardiovascular, neuromuscular, and cognitive function in the same two mouse strains so that alignment with BODN was predictable. The results revealed between- and within-age variabilities in PathoClock and PhysioClock, as well as between-strain variabilities. Both PathoClock and PhysioClock correlated with chronological age more strongly in CB6F1 than C57BL/6. Prediction models were then developed, designated as PathoAge and PhysioAge, using regression models of pathology and physiology measures on chronological age. PathoAge better predicted chronological age than PhysioAge as the predicted chronological and observed chronological age for PhysioAge were complex rather than linear. In conclusion, PathoClock and PhathoAge can be used to capture biological changes that predict BODN, a metric developed in human, and compare multimorbidity across species. These mouse clocks are potential translational tools that could be used in aging intervention studies.

pathology↗