Immunometabolic resistors of aging in long-lived golden spiny mice

Long-lived wild rodents closely related to laboratory mice on the evolutionary scale may allow identification of dormant pathways that resist aging. Spiny mice (Acomys) are known for their exceptional regenerative capacity, but their resilience to aging is unknown. Here, we report that aged golden spiny mice (Acomys russatus), reared in a non-pathogen-free environment, resist functional decline, have a greater repair capacity with reduced senescence in immune-metabolic organs compared to their sister species, eastern spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus). Aged A. russatus maintains transcriptional integrity akin to young mice, highlighting experimental checkpoints for inflammation and mortality. We identified that elevated levels of clusterin in A. russatus macrophages restrain inflammaging and enhance health span in aged mice. Thus, A. russatus biology reveals therapeutically actionable targets that may enhance or maintain function during aging.