A bird’s eye view to the homeostatic, Alzheimer and Glioblastoma attractors

Abstract

SUMMARY: Available data for white matter of the brain allows to locate the normal (homeostatic), Glioblastoma and Alzheimer’s disease attractors in gene expression space and to identify paths related to transitions like carcinogenesis or Alzheimer’s disease onset. A predefined path for aging is also apparent, which is consistent with the hypothesis of programmatic aging. In addition, reasonable assumptions about the relative strengths of attractors allow to draw a schematic landscape of fitness: a Wright’s diagram. These simple diagrams reproduce known relations between aging, Glioblastoma and Alzheimer’s disease, and rise interesting questions like the possible connection between programmatic aging and Glioblastoma in this tissue. We anticipate that similar multiple diagrams in other tissues could be useful in the understanding of the biology of apparently unrelated diseases or disorders, and in the discovery of unexpected clues for their treatment. Graphical abstract: In brief: Aging, carcinogenesis and Alzheimer’s disease onset in white matter of the brain are shown as paths or directions in gene-expression space, a simple view that allows the analysis of their mutual relations and to rise interesting questions such as whether programmatic aging could be related to avoiding the Glioblastoma. Highlights: Normal homeostatic, Glioblastoma and Alzheimer’s disease attractors are apparent in gene-expression space The relative disposition of paths for carcinogenesis and Alzheimer’s disease onset reproduce known relations between these diseases The observed corridor for aging is consistent with programmatic aging Avoiding the fall into the huge basin of the Glioblastoma could be the subject of selection pressure Aged normal samples could be captured by the weak Alzheimer’s disease attractor