All Outputs (34)

The evolution of ageing: classic theories and emerging ideas (2024)
Journal Article
Mc Auley, M. T. (2025). The evolution of ageing: classic theories and emerging ideas. Biogerontology, 26(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-024-10143-5

Ageing is generally regarded as a non-adaptive by-product of evolution. Based on this premise three classic evolutionary theories of ageing have been proposed. These theories have dominated the literature for several decades. Despite their individual... Read More about The evolution of ageing: classic theories and emerging ideas.

Vascular dementia: From pathobiology to emerging perspectives (2024)
Journal Article
Elizabeth Morgan, A., McAuley, M. T., & Tomás Mc Auley, M. (2024). Vascular dementia: From pathobiology to emerging perspectives. Ageing research reviews, 96, 102278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2024.102278

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common type of dementia. VaD is synonymous with ageing, and its symptoms place a significant burden on the health and wellbeing of older people. Despite the identification of a substantial... Read More about Vascular dementia: From pathobiology to emerging perspectives.

A new mathematical model of folate homeostasis in E. coli highlights the potential importance of the folinic acid futile cycle in cell growth. (2023)
Journal Article
Morgan, A., Salcedo-Sora, J. E., & Mc Auley, M. T. (2024). A new mathematical model of folate homeostasis in E. coli highlights the potential importance of the folinic acid futile cycle in cell growth. BioSystems, 235, 105088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.105088

Folate (vitamin B9) plays a central role in one-carbon metabolism in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. This pathway mediates the transfer of one-carbon units, playing a crucial role in nucleotide synthesis, methylation, and amino acid homeostasis. The foli... Read More about A new mathematical model of folate homeostasis in E. coli highlights the potential importance of the folinic acid futile cycle in cell growth..

An evolutionary perspective of lifespan and epigenetic inheritance (2023)
Journal Article

In the last decade epigenetics has come to the fore as a discipline which is central to biogerontology. Age associated epigenetic changes are routinely linked with pathologies, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease; moreov... Read More about An evolutionary perspective of lifespan and epigenetic inheritance.

Computationally Modelling Cholesterol Metabolism and Atherosclerosis (2023)
Journal Article
Davies, C., Morgan, A. E., & Mc Auley, M. T. (2023). Computationally Modelling Cholesterol Metabolism and Atherosclerosis. Biology, 12(8), 1133. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12081133

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally. The underlying pathological driver of CVD is atherosclerosis. The primary risk factor for atherosclerosis is elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Dysregulation of c... Read More about Computationally Modelling Cholesterol Metabolism and Atherosclerosis.

Dietary restriction and ageing: Recent evolutionary perspectives (2022)
Journal Article

Dietary restriction (DR) represents one of the most robust interventions for extending lifespan. It is not known how DR increases lifespan. The prevailing evolutionary hypothesis suggests the DR response redirects metabolic resources towards somatic... Read More about Dietary restriction and ageing: Recent evolutionary perspectives.

Modeling cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis (2021)
Journal Article

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among Western populations. Many risk factors have been identified for ASCVD; however, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) remains the gold... Read More about Modeling cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis.

DNA methylation in genes associated with the evolution of ageing and disease: A critical review (2021)
Journal Article

Ageing is characterised by a physical decline in biological functioning which results in a progressive risk of mortality with time. As a biological phenomenon, it is underpinned by the dysregulation of a myriad of complex processes. Recently, however... Read More about DNA methylation in genes associated with the evolution of ageing and disease: A critical review.

The interdependency and co-regulation of the vitamin D and cholesterol metabolism (2021)
Journal Article

Vitamin D and cholesterol metabolism overlap significantly in the pathways that contribute to their biosynthesis. However, our understanding of their independent and co-regulation is limited. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globa... Read More about The interdependency and co-regulation of the vitamin D and cholesterol metabolism.

Electrochemically detecting DNA methylation in the EN1 gene promoter: Implications for understanding ageing and disease (2020)
Journal Article
Morgan, A. E., Acutt, K. D., & Mc Auley, M. (2020). Electrochemically detecting DNA methylation in the EN1 gene promoter: Implications for understanding ageing and disease. Bioscience Reports, 40(11), https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20202571

There is a growing need for biomarkers which predict age-onset pathology. Although this is challenging, the methylome offers significant potential. Cancer is associated with the hypermethylation of many gene promoters, among which are developmental g... Read More about Electrochemically detecting DNA methylation in the EN1 gene promoter: Implications for understanding ageing and disease.

Cholesterol Homeostasis: An In Silico Investigation into How Aging Disrupts Its Key Hepatic Regulatory Mechanisms (2020)
Journal Article
Morgan, A. E., & Mc Auley, M. T. (2020). Cholesterol Homeostasis: An In Silico Investigation into How Aging Disrupts Its Key Hepatic Regulatory Mechanisms. Biology, 9(10), Article 314. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9100314

The dysregulation of intracellular cholesterol homeostasis is associated with several age-related diseases, most notably cardiovascular disease (CVD). Research in this area has benefitted from using computational modelling to study the inherent compl... Read More about Cholesterol Homeostasis: An In Silico Investigation into How Aging Disrupts Its Key Hepatic Regulatory Mechanisms.

Effects of obesity on cholesterol metabolism and its implications for healthy ageing (2020)
Journal Article

The last few decades have witnessed a global rise in the number of older individuals. Despite this demographic shift, morbidity within this population group is high. Many factors influence healthspan; however, an obesity pandemic is emerging as a sig... Read More about Effects of obesity on cholesterol metabolism and its implications for healthy ageing.

Data-driven selection and parameter estimation for DNA methylation mathematical models (2019)
Journal Article

Epigenetics is coming to the fore as a key process which underpins health. In particular emerging experimental evidence has associated alterations to DNA methylation status with healthspan and aging. Mammalian DNA methylation status is maintained by... Read More about Data-driven selection and parameter estimation for DNA methylation mathematical models.

Mathematical models of DNA methylation dynamics: Implications for health and ageing (2018)
Journal Article

DNA methylation is a key epigenetic process which has been intimately associated with gene regulation. In recent years growing evidence has associated DNA methylation status with a variety of diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and cardiov... Read More about Mathematical models of DNA methylation dynamics: Implications for health and ageing.

Disrupting folate metabolism reduces the capacity of bacteria in exponential growth to develop persisters to antibiotics (2018)
Journal Article

Bacteria can survive high doses of antibiotics through stochastic phenotypic diversification. We present initial evidence that folate metabolism could be involved with the formation of persisters. The aberrant expression of the folate enzyme gene fau... Read More about Disrupting folate metabolism reduces the capacity of bacteria in exponential growth to develop persisters to antibiotics.

The role of DNA methylation in ageing and cancer (2018)
Journal Article
Morgan, A. E., Davies, T. J., & Mc Auley, M. T. (2018). The role of DNA methylation in ageing and cancer. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 77(4), 412-422. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665118000150

The aim of the present review paper is to survey the literature related to DNA methylation, and its association with cancer and ageing. The review will outline the key factors, including diet, which modulate DNA methylation. Our rationale for conduct... Read More about The role of DNA methylation in ageing and cancer.

LDL-C levels in older people: Cholesterol homeostasis and the free radical theory of ageing converge (2017)
Journal Article

The cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) increases with age, up until the midpoint of life in males and females. However, LDL-C can decrease with age in older men and women. Intriguingly, a recent syst... Read More about LDL-C levels in older people: Cholesterol homeostasis and the free radical theory of ageing converge.

Modelling the molecular mechanisms of aging (2017)
Journal Article
Mc Auley, M., Guimera, A., Hodgson, D., Mcdonald, N., Mooney, K., Morgan, A., & Proctor, C. (2017). Modelling the molecular mechanisms of aging. Bioscience Reports, 37(1), https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20160177

The aging process is driven at the cellular level by random molecular damage that slowly accumulates with age. Although cells possess mechanisms to repair or remove damage, they are not 100% efficient and their efficiency declines with age. There are... Read More about Modelling the molecular mechanisms of aging.

A deterministic oscillatory model of microtubule growth and shrinkage for differential actions of short chain fatty acids (2016)
Journal Article

Short chain fatty acids (SCFA), principally acetate, propionate, butyrate and valerate, are produced in pharmacologically relevant concentrations by the gut microbiome. Investigations indicate that they exert beneficial effects on colon epithelia. Th... Read More about A deterministic oscillatory model of microtubule growth and shrinkage for differential actions of short chain fatty acids.

A mathematical model of microbial folate biosynthesis and utilisation: implications for antifolate development (2016)
Journal Article

The metabolic biochemistry of folate biosynthesis and utilisation has evolved into a complex network of reactions. Although this complexity represents challenges to the field of folate research it has also provided a renewed source for antimetabolite... Read More about A mathematical model of microbial folate biosynthesis and utilisation: implications for antifolate development.