School of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710060, China.
College of Software Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
Genes (Basel). 2022 Apr 15;13(4):699. doi: 10.3390/genes13040699.
The fact that dietary restriction (DR) and long-term rapamycin treatment (RALL) can ameliorate the aging process has been reported by many researchers. As the interface between external and genetic factors, epigenetic modification such as DNA methylation may have latent effects on the aging rate at the molecular level. To understand the mechanism behind the impacts of dietary restriction and rapamycin on aging, DNA methylation and gene expression changes were measured in the hippocampi of different-aged mice. Examining the single-base resolution of DNA methylation, we discovered that both dietary restriction and rapamycin treatment can maintain DNA methylation in a younger state compared to normal-aged mice. Through functional enrichment analysis of genes in which DNA methylation or gene expression can be affected by DR/RALL, we found that DR/RALL may retard aging through a relationship in which DNA methylation and gene expression work together not only in the same gene but also in the same biological process. This study is instructive for understanding the maintenance of DNA methylation by DR/RALL in the aging process, as well as the role of DR and RALL in the amelioration of aging.
许多研究人员已经报道了饮食限制（DR）和长期雷帕霉素治疗（RALL）可以改善衰老过程这一事实。作为外部和遗传因素之间的接口，表观遗传修饰，如 DNA 甲基化，可能在分子水平上对衰老率有潜在影响。为了了解饮食限制和雷帕霉素对衰老的影响机制，我们测量了不同年龄的小鼠海马体中的 DNA 甲基化和基因表达变化。通过检查 DNA 甲基化的单碱基分辨率，我们发现与正常衰老的小鼠相比，饮食限制和雷帕霉素处理都可以使 DNA 甲基化保持在更年轻的状态。通过对受 DR/RALL 影响的 DNA 甲基化或基因表达的基因进行功能富集分析，我们发现 DR/RALL 可能通过 DNA 甲基化和基因表达不仅在同一个基因中，而且在同一个生物过程中共同作用的关系来延缓衰老。这项研究对于理解 DR/RALL 在衰老过程中维持 DNA 甲基化以及 DR 和 RALL 在改善衰老中的作用具有指导意义。
