Preserving transcriptional stress responses as an anti-aging strategy

The progressively increasing frailty, morbidity and mortality of aging organisms coincides with, and may be causally related to, their waning ability to adapt to environmental perturbations. Transcriptional responses to challenges, such as oxidative stress or pathogens, diminish with age. This effect is manifest in the declining function of the stress responsive transcription factor Nrf2. Protective gene expression programs that are controlled by the Drosophila Nrf2 homolog, CncC, support homeostasis and longevity. Age-associated chromatin changes make these genes inaccessible to CncC binding and render them inert to signal-dependent transcriptional activation in old animals. In a previous paper, we have reported that overexpression of the CncC dimerization partner Maf-S counteracts this degenerative effect and preserves organism fitness. Building on this work, we show here that Maf-S overexpression prevents loss of chromatin accessibility and maintains gene responsiveness. Moreover, the same outcome, along with an extension of lifespan, can be achieved by inducing CncC target gene expression pharmacologically throughout adult life. Thus, pharmacological or dietary interventions that can preserve stress responsive gene expression may be feasible anti-aging strategies.