Mrabti Calida, Yang Na, Desdín-Micó Gabriela, Alonso-Calleja Alejandro, Vílchez-Acosta Alba, Pico Sara, Parras Alberto, Piao Yulan, Schoenfeldt Lucas, Luo Siyuan, Haghani Amin, Brooke Robert T, Maza María Del Carmen, Branchina Clémence, Bignon Yohan, Maroun Céline Yacoub, von Meyenn Ferdinand, Naveiras Olaia, Horvath Steve, Sen Payel, Ocampo Alejandro
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.
Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
Res Sq. 2024 Dec 16:rs.3.rs-4012025. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4012025/v1.
Aging is the major risk factor for most human diseases and represents a major socioeconomical challenge for modern societies. Despite its importance, the process of aging remains poorly understood. Epigenetic dysregulation has been proposed as a key driver of the aging process. Alterations in transcriptional networks and chromatin structure might be central to age-related functional decline. A prevalent feature described during aging is the overall reduction in heterochromatin, specifically marked by the loss of the repressive histone modification, histone 3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3). However, the role of H3K9me3 in aging, especially in mammals, remains unclear. Here we show using a novel mouse strain, "TKOc", carrying a triple knockout of three methyltransferases responsible for H3K9me3 deposition, that the inducible loss of H3K9me3 in adulthood results in premature aging. TKOc mice exhibit reduced lifespan, lower body weight, increased frailty index, multi-organ degeneration, transcriptional changes with significant upregulation of transposable elements, and accelerated epigenetic age. Our data strongly supports the concept that the loss of epigenetic information might directly drives the aging process. These findings reveal the importance of epigenetic regulation in aging and suggest that interventions targeting epigenetic modifications could potentially slow down or reverse age-related decline. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the process of aging will be crucial for developing novel therapeutic strategies that can delay the onset of age-associated diseases and preserve human health at old age specially in rapidly aging societies.
衰老作为大多数人类疾病的主要风险因素,是现代社会面临的重大社会经济挑战。尽管衰老十分重要,但其过程仍未被充分理解。表观遗传失调被认为是衰老过程的关键驱动因素。转录网络和染色质结构的改变可能是与年龄相关的功能衰退的核心。衰老过程中一个普遍的特征是异染色质整体减少,具体表现为抑制性组蛋白修饰——组蛋白3赖氨酸9三甲基化(H3K9me3)的缺失。然而,H3K9me3在衰老过程中的作用,尤其是在哺乳动物中的作用,仍不清楚。在此,我们使用一种新型小鼠品系“TKOc”进行研究,该品系携带负责H3K9me3沉积的三种甲基转移酶的三重敲除,结果表明成年期H3K9me3的诱导性缺失会导致早衰。TKOc小鼠表现出寿命缩短、体重减轻、虚弱指数增加、多器官退化、伴随着转座元件显著上调的转录变化以及表观遗传年龄加速。我们的数据有力地支持了表观遗传信息的缺失可能直接驱动衰老过程这一概念。这些发现揭示了表观遗传调控在衰老中的重要性,并表明针对表观遗传修饰的干预措施可能会减缓或逆转与年龄相关的衰退。了解衰老过程背后的分子机制对于开发新的治疗策略至关重要,这些策略可以延缓与年龄相关疾病的发生,并在老龄化迅速的社会中特别保障老年人的健康。