Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2025
07:03
Determining Genome-wide Transcript Decay Rates in Proliferating and Quiescent Human Fibroblasts
Published on: January 2, 2018
6.2K
Repetitive element transcript accumulation is associated with inflammaging in humans
Meghan E Smith1, Devin Wahl1, Alyssa N Cavalier1
1Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
Geroscience
|April 19, 2024
Summary
Aging increases repetitive element (RE) transcripts, driving inflammation and reducing healthspan. Exercise may mitigate this by altering RE methylation and expression in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Immunology
- Aging Research
Background:
- Chronic, low-grade inflammation, or inflammaging, is linked to aging and associated functional decline.
- Repetitive elements (RE) are increasingly implicated in inflammaging via innate immune activation, but human data are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between RE transcripts, inflammation, and aging in humans.
- To explore the impact of aging and aerobic exercise on RE epigenetic regulation and expression.
Main Methods:
- Transcriptomic and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing in middle-aged and older adults.
- Analysis of serum inflammatory markers (interleukin-6) and gene expression.
- Assessment of RE chromatin accessibility in a secondary dataset.
Main Results:
- RE transcript levels positively correlate with innate immune sensor gene expression and serum interleukin-6.
- Aging is associated with RE hypomethylation and increased RE transcripts.
- Aerobic exercise reduces RE transcript levels and increases RE methylation in older adults.
- Age-related changes in RE chromatin accessibility were observed.
Conclusions:
- Age-related accumulation of RE transcripts may contribute to inflammaging in humans.
- Epigenetic changes, including altered DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility, likely underlie RE dysregulation with aging.
- Aerobic exercise shows potential for modulating RE activity and mitigating age-related inflammation.
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