Sturm, Ádám and Saskői, Éva and Hotzi, Bernadette and Tarnóci, Anna and Barna, János and Kovács, Tibor and Ari, Eszter and Weinhardt, Nóra and Kerepesi, Csaba and Perczel, András and Vellai, Tibor (2023) Downregulation of transposable elements extends lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 14 (1). ISSN 2041-1723 10.1038/s41467-023-40957-9

Preview

Text Sturm_1_34119363_ny.pdf Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract

Mobility of transposable elements (TEs) frequently leads to insertional mutations in functional DNA regions. In the potentially immortal germline, TEs are effectively suppressed by the Piwi-piRNA pathway. However, in the genomes of ageing somatic cells lacking the effects of the pathway, TEs become increasingly mobile during the adult lifespan, and their activity is associated with genomic instability. Whether the progressively increasing mobilization of TEs is a cause or a consequence of ageing remains a fundamental problem in biology. Here we show that in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , the downregulation of active TE families extends lifespan. Ectopic activation of Piwi proteins in the soma also promotes longevity. Furthermore, DNA N 6 -adenine methylation at TE stretches gradually rises with age, and this epigenetic modification elevates their transcription as the animal ages. These results indicate that TEs represent a novel genetic determinant of ageing, and that N 6 -adenine methylation plays a pivotal role in ageing control.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics and Computer Science > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science / számítástechnika, számítógéptudomány
Divisions:	Informatics Laboratory
SWORD Depositor:	MTMT Injector
Depositing User:	MTMT Injector
Date Deposited:	12 Sep 2023 06:28
Last Modified:	12 Sep 2023 06:28
URI:	https://eprints.sztaki.hu/id/eprint/10568

Update Item