Gene regulatory footprint of aging

Proteomic and genomic bioengineers have deciphered some of the molecular actions of genes and proteins that result in aging.  “[They measured] changes in the transcriptome, histone modifications, and DNA methylome in three metabolic tissues of adult and aged mice. Transcriptome and methylome changes dominate the liver aging footprint, whereas heart and muscle globally increase chromatin accessibility, especially in aging pathways. In mouse and human data from multiple tissues and regulatory layers, age-related transcription factor expression changes and binding site enrichment converge on putative aging modulators,. . . .  We conclude that conserved modulators are at the core of the molecular footprint of aging, and variation in tissue-specific expression of some may affect human longevity.”  MORE

Image Credit:  Cell.com and EPFL