Age-Specific Genomic And Transcriptomic Variation Reveals Limited Evidence For Cis- Regulatory Interactions Modulating Aging In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Scientists are always looking for ways to understand why and how we age. One powerful tool for this research is budding yeast, a simple organism that shares many fundamental biological processes with humans. In a recent study, researchers investigated the genetic and gene activity changes that occur as yeast cells get older.
They separated young and aged yeast cells and then looked closely at their DNA (their genetic blueprint) and their RNA (the molecules that carry instructions from DNA to make proteins). They discovered many genetic differences in the older cells, affecting over a hundred unique genes. They also found that the activity of 60 genes changed significantly with age, with some becoming more active and others less so.
Interestingly, while only a couple of genes showed changes in both their DNA and their activity, the overall functions affected in aged cells were consistent across both types of analysis. These functions included important processes like maintaining proteins, repairing DNA, and regulating cell division.
Crucially, the study found that the changes in gene activity observed during aging were not strongly linked to genetic variations located very close to those genes. This suggests that the way genes are turned on or off to influence survival in later life is likely controlled by more complex, perhaps more distant, genetic or environmental factors, rather than just immediate genetic neighbors. This work highlights the importance of looking at multiple layers of biological information, like both DNA and RNA, to get a complete picture of complex processes such as aging.
Source: link to paper