Two Eötvös Loránd researchers have made an exciting breakthrough in understanding how humans age. New research finds that managing transposable elements in DNA through the Piwi-piRNA pathway extends lifespan. The discovery links DNA activity to aging, opening up new possibilities for medical and biological research to improve health and determine age.
Researchers Dr. Ádám Sturm and Dr. Tibor Vellai from Eötvös Loránd, Hungary, have made significant discoveries in aging research. Their research centers on "transposable elements" (TEs) in DNA, which are segments that can be relocated within the genetic code. Excessive movement of these transposable elements leads to instability of the genetic code, which may contribute to the aging process.
Scientists have identified a specific process called the Piwi-piRNA pathway that helps control these TEs. They saw this pathway at work in certain cells that do not age, such as cancer stem cells, and specifically in the mysterious Turritopsisdohrnii (lighthouse jellyfish, commonly known as the "immortal jellyfish"). By strengthening this pathway in a worm called Caenorhabditis elegans, the worm's lifespan was significantly extended.
In previously published landmark articles titled "Mechanisms of Aging: The Major Role of Transposable Elements in Genome Disorganization" (2015) and "The Piwi-piRNA Pathway: The Road to Immortality" (2017), Dr. Sturm and Dr. Vellai theorized the profound relationship between the Piwi-piRNA system and the fascinating concept of biological immortality. Now, they provide experimental proof in a new paper published in Nature Communications. Their research shows that controlling the activity of TEs can indeed extend lifespan, suggesting that these mobile DNA elements play a crucial role in the aging process.
In more technical terms, researchers use techniques to "down-regulate" or reduce the activity of TEs. When they did this to specific TEs in the worms, the worms showed signs of slower aging. What's more, when multiple TEs are controlled simultaneously, the effects of extending life are additive.
Dr. Sturm explained: "In our lifespan experiments, a statistically significant lifespan advantage was observed simply by downregulating TEs or somatically overexpressing Piwi-piRNA pathway elements. This opens the door to countless potential applications in medicine and biology."
Additionally, the team found that as these worms age, their DNA undergoes epigenetic changes, particularly in TEs. These changes, known as DNAN6-adenine methylation, were observed to increase TE transcription and jumping as animals aged.
Dr. Vellai emphasized the potential significance of this discovery: "This epigenetic modification may pave the way for methods of determining age from DNA, providing an accurate biological clock."
Taken together, by better understanding these mobile DNA elements and the pathways that control them, scientists may find ways to extend life and improve health later in life.