Webster Rachel, Quintana Maria, Yu Bin, Fluke Stacey, Kafri Ran, Derry W Brent
Cell Biology Program, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Developmental, Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Program, PEter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Heredity (Edinb). 2025 May 18. doi: 10.1038/s41437-025-00769-7.
Studies on aging have centered on two molecular pathways: CDK4/6 and insulin/mTORC1. These pathways are thought to influence aging through distinct mechanisms: mTORC1 by reprogramming systemic metabolism, and CDK4 through p16-mediated senescence and inflammatory signaling (SASP). Here, we investigate the connection between aging and CDK4 in Caenorhabditis elegans, an organism lacking both p16 and SASP. Using a conditional degradation system, we demonstrate that CDK-4 inhibition in C. elegans phenocopies its aging-related functions observed in mammals. Worms with depleted CDK-4 exhibited accelerated aging phenotypes, including reduced lifespan, decreased motility, increased yolk accumulation, and earlier onset of senescence. At the physiological level, CDK4-inhibited worms show substantial metabolic shifts; including enhanced protein synthesis, elevated ATP production, and increased fat accumulation. These metabo-aging phenotypes occur independently of mTORC1, instead operating through the canonical CDK-4 effectors LIN-35 (Rb) and EFL-1 (E2F).
Heredity (Edinb). 2025-5-18
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