Bapteste Éric
Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, EPHE, Université Des Antilles, Paris, France.
Bioessays. 2025 Jan;47(1):e2400099. doi: 10.1002/bies.202400099. Epub 2024 Oct 14.
A recent thought-provoking theory argues that complex organisms using epigenetic information for their normal development and functioning must irreversibly age as a result of epigenetic signal loss. Importantly, the scope of this theory could be considerably expanded, with scientific benefits, by analyzing epigenetic ageing beyond the borders of the Tree of Life. Viruses that use epigenetic signals for their normal functioning may also age, that is, present an increasing risk of failing to complete their individual life cycle and to disappear with time. As viruses are ancient, abundant, and infect a considerable diversity of hosts, the ageing virus hypothesis, if verified, would have important consequences for many fields of the Life sciences. Uncovering ageing viruses would integrate the most abundant and biologically central entities on Earth into theories of ageing, enhance virology, gerontology, evolutionary biology, molecular ecology, genomics, and possibly medicine through the development of new therapies manipulating viral ageing.
最近一个引人深思的理论认为，利用表观遗传信息进行正常发育和功能维持的复杂生物体，必然会因表观遗传信号的丧失而不可避免地衰老。重要的是，通过分析生命之树边界之外的表观遗传衰老现象，该理论的范围可以得到大幅扩展，并带来科学益处。利用表观遗传信号进行正常功能维持的病毒也可能会衰老，也就是说，随着时间的推移，它们无法完成个体生命周期并消失的风险会不断增加。由于病毒古老、数量众多且能感染种类繁多的宿主，衰老病毒假说如果得到证实，将对生命科学的许多领域产生重要影响。发现衰老病毒将把地球上最丰富且在生物学上处于核心地位的实体纳入衰老理论，通过开发操纵病毒衰老的新疗法来加强病毒学、老年学、进化生物学、分子生态学、基因组学，甚至可能还有医学。
