Epigenetic memory of longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Epigenetic memory of longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans.
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DOI：
10.4161/worm.19157
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发表时间：
2012-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Brunet, Anne
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Benayoun, Berenice A;Brunet, Anne
Greer等人最近在线虫C.在缺乏负责组蛋白H3赖氨酸4三甲基化（H3K4me3）的复合物亚基的蠕虫的后代中，线虫显示出寿命的跨代表观遗传。在这篇评论中，我们讨论了这种长寿的表观遗传记忆的影响和这种现象背后的潜在机制。长寿的跨代遗传可能是由于特定的衰老调节基因位点上的H3K4me3的可遗传消耗导致的，这些基因位点只会逐渐补充。长寿的表观遗传记忆也可以通过其他分子的跨代传递来解释，例如其他蛋白质或非编码RNA。蠕虫中长寿的表观遗传记忆的发现提出了一种有趣的可能性，即调节祖先长寿的环境线索可能会以非孟德尔的方式影响后代。另一个有趣的问题是，长寿的跨代遗传是否也存在于其他物种中，包括哺乳动物。
A recent study by Greer et al. in the nematode C. elegans has shown transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of longevity in the descendants of worms deficient for subunits of a complex responsible for histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3). In this commentary, we discuss the implications of this epigenetic memory of longevity and the potential mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. The transgenerational inheritance of longevity could result from heritable depletion of H3K4me3 at particular aging-regulating gene loci that would only be progressively replenished. The epigenetic memory of longevity could also be explained by the transgenerational transmission of other molecules, for example other proteins or non-coding RNAs. The discovery of an epigenetic memory of longevity in worms raises the intriguing possibility that environmental cues modulating longevity in ancestors might affect subsequent generations in a non-Mendelian manner. Another remaining intriguing question is whether transgenerational inheritance of longevity also exists in other species, including mammals.