Gene therapy, CRISPR, epigenetic clocks, and genomic determinants of aging
Child maltreatment is a pervasive problem leading to increased morbidity and mortality across the lifespan, potentially propagated by DNA methylation (DNAm) changes. We conducted an EWAS meta-analysis (n=175, 554,979 Illumina EPICv1/EPICv2 sites) in buccal swabs …
The conserved Ess1 prolyl isomerase (PIN1 in human) binds the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA Pol II, and plays multiple roles in transcription regulation. Consistent with an essential role of the human PIN1 in telomere …
Angiogenesis fuels colorectal cancer (CRC) growth and metastasis by supplying oxygen and nutrients to expanding tumors. Here, we define a TGM2-mediated serotonylation axis in tumor endothelial cells as a driver of angiogenesis and a key …
Researchers found that caloric restriction slows aging of hematopoietic stem cells (blood-forming cells) in mice by activating specific genes like KDR and PU.1 that control whether these cells self-renew or differentiate. The discovery identifies molecular …
Aspartame (ASP) is a common artificial sweetener used in food and beverages. There is currently significant controversy surrounding the safety of aspartame. However, the molecular mechanisms of aspartame on innate immunity and lifespan remain poorly …
Phthalate esters (PAEs), ubiquitous plastic additives, have emerged as persistent contaminants in aquatic ecosystems, yet their propagation from molecular initiating events to ecosystem-level collapse remains poorly integrated. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the source-to-sink …
The biological feasibility of human rejuvenation remains a subject of intense debate, yet answering this question is critical for guiding research strategies. Should aging research focus only on reversing aging in older individuals, or pausing …
In the absence of telomerase, telomere shortening triggers replicative senescence, a tumor suppressor mechanism that is also associated with oncogenic genomic instability. Yet, the precise mechanism that connects these seemingly opposing forces remains poorly understood. …
Aging-related diseases are aggravated by tissue hypoxia; however, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we report that the oxygen (O2) release capacity of red blood cells (RBCs) gradually decreases with age and is closely associated …
Pancreatic beta-cells require the coordinated expression of transcription factors such as MAFA to dynamically secrete insulin to maintain euglycemia. A naturally occurring mutation in MAFA (MAFAS64F) produces a long-lived variant protein which predisposes carriers to …
Escitalopram is one of the most widely prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for treating depression and anxiety disorders in adolescents and pregnant women. While some SSRIs have been reported to extend lifespan, the impact …
Partial cellular reprogramming can modulate aging-associated decline across multiple tissues. However, whether targeting memory-encoding ensembles within specific brain regions is sufficient to restore cognitive function has remained unknown. In this issue of Neuron, Berdugo-Vega et …
The influence of lifestyle factors, such as diet, on the effectiveness of T cell-mediated cancer immunotherapies remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the ketogenic diet (KD)-induced ketone metabolite β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) augments chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) …
Researchers tested intermittent fasting in 10 genetically distinct mouse strains and found that how much fasting improves health and lifespan depends heavily on your genes and sex—not just the diet itself. This suggests that personalized …
BACKGROUND: The majority of bacteria in the vertebrate gut harbor integrated bacterial viruses ("bacteriophages" or "phages"; integrated phage are termed "prophages"). To probe phage replication strategies in the mammalian gut microbiome, we investigated phage activity …
In a recent article in Science, Shenhar et al. report that human life span heritability reaches ~55% after removing "extrinsic" mortality, roughly seven-fold higher than recent large pedigree estimates. This conclusion rests on classifying deaths …
Environmental factors are often detrimental; however, certain environments enhance immune resilience. Notably, children raised on traditional farms show reduced allergies and asthma prevalence. Here, we investigated how a beneficial environment, using farm dust (FD) extract, …
After fertilization in mammals, there is an epigenetic asymmetry reflected by differences in DNA demethylation and histone modifications between female and male pronuclei (FPN and MPN, respectively). Based on its expression level and amount, we …
Alzheimer's disease (AD), a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive impairment and neuronal degeneration, is increasingly recognized as being driven not only by the traditional amyloid-beta and tau pathologies but also by persistent neuroinflammation and …
Life-history traits jointly determine survival, growth, and reproduction, yet their evolutionary interdependence remains poorly understood. Most comparative studies focus on pairwise trade-offs or composite axes, overlooking the complexity of multivariate coevolution. Here, we integrate phylogenetic …