Engineering longevity—design of a synthetic gene oscillator to slow cellular aging | Zendy

Zhen Zhou | Zendy; Yuting Liu | Zendy; Yushen Feng | Zendy; Stephen Klepin | Zendy; Lev S. Tsimring | Zendy; Lorraine Pillus | Zendy; Jeff Hasty | Zendy; Nan Hao | Zendy

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Engineering longevity—design of a synthetic gene oscillator to slow cellular aging

Author(s) -

Zhen Zhou,

Yuting Liu,

Yushen Feng,

Stephen Klepin,

Lev S. Tsimring,

Lorraine Pillus,

Jeff Hasty,

Nan Hao

Publication year - 2023

Publication title -

science

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 12.556

H-Index - 1186

eISSN - 1095-9203

pISSN - 0036-8075

DOI - 10.1126/science.add7631

Subject(s) - longevity , synthetic biology , biology , gene silencing , gene regulatory network , life span , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , gene , neuroscience , evolutionary biology , gene expression

Synthetic biology enables the design of gene networks to confer specific biological functions, yet it remains a challenge to rationally engineer a biological trait as complex as longevity. A naturally occurring toggle switch underlies fate decisions toward either nucleolar or mitochondrial decline during the aging of yeast cells. We rewired this endogenous toggle to engineer an autonomous genetic clock that generates sustained oscillations between the nucleolar and mitochondrial aging processes in individual cells. These oscillations increased cellular life span through the delay of the commitment to aging that resulted from either the loss of chromatin silencing or the depletion of heme. Our results establish a connection between gene network architecture and cellular longevity that could lead to rationally designed gene circuits that slow aging.

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