Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Hum Genet. 2020 Mar;139(3):357-369. doi: 10.1007/s00439-019-02094-6. Epub 2019 Dec 13.
Alternative pre-mRNA splicing increases the complexity of the proteome that can be generated from the available genomic coding sequences. Dysregulation of the splicing process has been implicated in a vast repertoire of diseases. However, splicing has recently been linked to both the aging process itself and pro-longevity interventions. This review focuses on recent research towards defining RNA splicing as a new hallmark of aging. We highlight dysfunctional alternative splicing events that contribute to the aging phenotype across multiple species, along with recent efforts toward deciphering mechanistic roles for RNA splicing in the regulation of aging and longevity. Further, we discuss recent research demonstrating a direct requirement for specific splicing factors in pro-longevity interventions, and specifically how nutrient signaling pathways interface to splicing factor regulation and downstream splicing targets. Finally, we review the emerging potential of using splicing profiles as a predictor of biological age and life expectancy. Understanding the role of RNA splicing components and downstream targets altered in aging may provide opportunities to develop therapeutics and ultimately extend healthy lifespan in humans.
可变剪接增加了可从现有基因组编码序列产生的蛋白质组的复杂性。剪接过程的失调与大量疾病有关。然而,剪接最近与衰老过程本身和延长寿命的干预措施有关。本综述重点介绍了最近将 RNA 剪接定义为衰老新标志的研究。我们强调了在多种物种中导致衰老表型的功能失调的可变剪接事件,以及最近在解析 RNA 剪接在衰老和寿命调控中的机制作用方面的努力。此外,我们讨论了最近的研究表明,特定剪接因子在延长寿命的干预中具有直接的需求,特别是营养信号通路如何与剪接因子调节和下游剪接靶标相互作用。最后,我们回顾了使用剪接谱作为生物年龄和预期寿命预测因子的新兴潜力。了解在衰老过程中改变的 RNA 剪接成分和下游靶标可能为开发治疗方法并最终延长人类健康寿命提供机会。