Maxwell Patrick H
Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, CBIS Room 2123, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
Curr Genet. 2016 May;62(2):277-82. doi: 10.1007/s00294-015-0538-2. Epub 2015 Nov 18.
Retrotransposons are activated as organisms age, based on work from several model systems. Since these mobile DNA elements can promote genome instability, this has raised the possibility that they can contribute to loss of cellular function with age. Many questions remain to be addressed about the relationship between retrotransposons and aging, so it is unclear if changes in their activity will be found to contribute to aging or to be a consequence of aging. A few broad perspectives are presented regarding how continued work on these elements could provide important insights into the aging process, regardless of whether their mobility is ultimately found to significantly contribute to reduced lifespan and healthspan.
基于多个模型系统的研究成果,逆转录转座子会随着生物体衰老而被激活。由于这些可移动的DNA元件会促进基因组不稳定,这就引发了一种可能性,即它们可能导致细胞功能随年龄增长而丧失。关于逆转录转座子与衰老之间的关系,仍有许多问题有待解决,所以目前尚不清楚其活性变化究竟是导致衰老的原因还是衰老的结果。本文提出了几个宽泛的观点,阐述了对这些元件的持续研究如何能够为衰老过程提供重要见解,无论最终是否发现其移动性对缩短寿命和健康寿命有显著影响。