Bioinformatics of leukocytes DNA from aged rats.

Objective To understand the changes of gene expression levels in the process of aging in rat leukocyte. Method Male Wister rats were divided into two groups: aged group (18 months old) and young age group (4 months old). The gene expression levels were studied using Illumina rat whole genome expression chips. Result Bioinformatics analysis revealed that there was a significant difference of gene expressions between the aged and the young rats. Twenty-eight genes involved in apoptosis and 22 genes involved in inflammatory response were up-regulated in the aged rats. 9 genes responsible for oxygen and reactive oxygen intermediates metabolism were down-regulated in the aged rats. Conclusion The change of these gene functions may be responsible for the change in the biological functions of leukocytes.