How nuclear actin affects gene activity and aging
Official title: When actin's not actin like actin: Nuclear actin impacts transcription and aging
Funded at University of Southern California · NIH-11472065 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Testing new ways to see tiny actin proteins inside cell nuclei to understand how they change gene activity during aging.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | April 1, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $160,741 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG079806-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11472065 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People interested in aging research or who want to follow developments that could lead to future clinical trials would be the most relevant audience for these findings.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking immediate treatments or those with conditions unrelated to cellular aging are unlikely to see direct benefits from this basic laboratory research.
What this research studies
This project is building new lab tools to reliably stain and watch nuclear actin in a tiny worm called C. elegans that scientists use to study aging. Researchers will create multiple staining methods and use genetic approaches to track nuclear actin during stress and over the animal's lifespan. They will examine how nuclear actin influences DNA repair and which genes are turned on or off as animals age. Results in worms may point to similar cell processes in people and guide future research toward therapies that protect cells with age.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could uncover cellular mechanisms that help keep DNA and gene activity healthier with age and point to new targets for age-related therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Studies of cytoplasmic actin in aging exist, but studying nuclear actin in aging is new and largely untested.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Higuchi-Sanabria, Ryo — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Higuchi-Sanabria, Ryo
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.