03 May Protein Driver of Aging Process Identified

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte PhD
Professor, Gene Expression Laboratory
Roger Guillemin Chair
Salk Institute For Biological Science

MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Werner protein (WRN) plays roles in DNA replication, transcription, repair as well as telomere maintenance. Mutations in WRN are associated with Werner syndrome. In the current study we discovered that WRN was interacting with proteins implicated in heterochromatin maintenance. We observed that mutations in the WRN protein led to alterations in heterochromatin and those alterations are drivers of the aging process.

MedicalResearch: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Response: In our study we observed a downregulation of the WRN protein associated with heterochromatin disorganization in cells that led to the changes in the conformation of DNA and these changes are the drivers of aging.

MedicalResearch: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: We are currently developing epigenetic editing technologies to reverse the changes in heterochromatin that are observed during aging. In addition, we are also developing strategies to restore normal levels of WRN protein in old cells. Both of these approaches may have the potential to slow down or even reverse the aging process. In addition, studies using animal models will be necessary to evaluate the role of epigenetic changes at the organismal level and see if we can reverse these changes.

Citation:

Weiqi Zhang, Jingyi Li, Keiichiro Suzuki, Jing Qu, Ping Wang, Junzhi Zhou, Xiaomeng Liu, Ruotong Ren, Xiuling Xu, Alejandro Ocampo, Tingting Yuan, Jiping Yang, Ying Li, Liang Shi, Dee Guan, Huize Pan, Shunlei Duan, Zhichao Ding, Mo Li, Fei Yi, Ruijun Bai, Yayu Wang, Chang Chen, Fuquan Yang, Xiaoyu Li, Zimei Wang, Emi Aizawa, April Goebl, Rupa Devi Soligalla, Pradeep Reddy, Concepcion Rodriguez Esteban, Fuchou Tang, Guang-Hui Liu, and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte. A Werner syndrome stem cell model unveils heterochromatin alterations as a driver of human aging. Science, 30 April 2015 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa1356

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MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte PhD (2015). Protein Driver of Aging Process Identified 

Last Updated on May 3, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD