Suppression of transcriptional drift extends C. elegans lifespan by postponing the onset of mortality.

ABSTRACT: Longevity mechanisms increase lifespan by counteracting the effects of aging. However, whether longevity mechanisms counteract the effects of aging continually throughout life, or whether they act during specific periods of life, preventing changes that precede mortality is unclear. Here, we uncover transcriptional drift, a phenomenon that describes how aging causes genes within functional groups to change expression in opposing directions. These changes cause a transcriptome-wide loss in mRNA stoichiometry and loss of co-expression patterns in aging animals, as compared to young adults. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model, we show that extending lifespan by inhibiting serotonergic signals by the antidepressant mianserin attenuates transcriptional drift, allowing the preservation of a

SUBMITTER: Rangaraju S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4720515 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature