Protein kinases as targets for interventive biogerontology: Overview and perspectives

Protein kinases are enzymes that catalyze the transfer of γ phosphate from adenosine triphosphate to substrate proteins, and are important signal transduction mediators in a diversity of biological processes, ranging from apoptosis to energy metabolism. In this article, we will take this prominent class of proteins as an example to illustrate the involvement of proteins in modulation of aging and to highlight the prospects and challenges of protein-targeted interventions for anti-aging purposes. It is hoped that through this article, more empirical work on interventive gerontology will follow, and with collaborative endeavors among researchers, hurdles in anti-aging intervention development can be overcome in the near future.

► Protein kinases are modulators of multiple biological processes, including aging. ► Either the expression or activities of kinases can be targeted for intervention. ► Lack of faithful aging models limits the pace of anti-aging intervention development.