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Updated: Jul 13, 2025

Studying Age-dependent Genomic Instability using the S. cerevisiae Chronological Lifespan Model
Published on: September 29, 2011
Genome Instability and DNA Repair in Somatic and Reproductive Aging
Stephanie Panier1,2, Siyao Wang1,3,4, Björn Schumacher1,3
1Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Disease and Cluster of Excellence: Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany;
Abstract:
Genetic material is constantly subjected to genotoxic insults and is critically dependent on DNA repair. Genome maintenance mechanisms differ in somatic and germ cells as the soma only requires maintenance during an individual's lifespan, while the germline indefinitely perpetuates its genetic information. DNA lesions are recognized and repaired by mechanistically highly diverse repair machineries. The DNA damage response impinges on a vast array of homeostatic processes and can ultimately result in cell fate changes such as apoptosis or cellular senescence. DNA damage causally contributes to the aging process and aging-associated diseases, most prominently cancer. By causing mutations, DNA damage in germ cells can lead to genetic diseases and impact the evolutionary trajectory of a species. The mechanisms ensuring tight control of germline DNA repair could be highly instructive in defining strategies for improved somatic DNA repair. They may provide future interventions to maintain health and prevent disease during aging.
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