Human Ageing Genomic Resources: updates on key databases in ageing research

Abstract

Ageing is a complex and multifactorial process. For two decades, the Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR) have aided researchers in the study of various aspects of ageing and its manipulation. Here, we present the key features and recent enhancements of these resources, focusing on its six main databases. One database, GenAge, focuses on genes related to ageing, featuring 307 genes linked to human ageing and 2205 genes associated with longevity and ageing in model organisms. AnAge focuses on ageing, longevity, and life-history across animal species, containing data on 4645 species. DrugAge includes information about 1097 longevity drugs and compounds in model organisms such as mice, rats, flies, worms and yeast. GenDR provides a list of 214 genes associated with the life-extending benefits of dietary restriction in model organisms. CellAge contains a catalogue of 866 genes associated with cellular senescence. The LongevityMap serves as a repository for genetic variants associated with human longevity, encompassing 3144 variants pertaining to 884 genes. Additionally, HAGR provides various tools as well as gene expression signatures of ageing, dietary restriction, and replicative senescence based on meta-analyses. Our databases are integrated, regularly updated, and manually curated by experts. HAGR is freely available online (https://genomics.senescence.info/).

Graphical Abstract

Figure 1.

Overview of the main databases in the Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR).

Figure 2.

Distribution of maximum lifespan across selected orders using data from the AnAge database. Six mammalian orders, two bird, two reptile, two amphibian, and one fish order (each with over 40 species in the AnAge database) are included. Kernel density estimation was used for the distribution with default parameters. In the maximum lifespan distribution graph, the x-axis represents the maximum lifespan in years (log scale) while the y-axis indicates the number of species at each lifespan. Silhouettes from phylopic.org by T. Michael Keesey (Cetacea and Psittaciformes), thefunkmonk (Primates), Kai Caspar (Passeriformes), Scott Hartman (Testudines) and others in the public domain.

Figure 3.

Time-series growth of the Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR) databases. The figure illustrates the number of entries across different HAGR databases over the years. Gene expression signatures are not included.

Figure 4.

Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR) usage, visitors, citations, and database statistics. (A) Usage by percentage of the different HAGR databases in 2022. (B) HAGR unique visitors per month (red) and citations per year (blue). (C) Word Cloud based on words in the abstracts of papers citing HAGR.