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Journal Club April 2023

  • Stopping DNA damage is no longer just a DREAM
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The Journal Club is a monthly livestream hosted by Dr. Oliver Medvedik which covers the latest aging research papers.

In the Journal Club this month, we will be exploring a new study published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, where researchers demonstrated that by manipulating the DREAM protein complex, a major regulator of DNA damage response, it may be possible to reduce the number of DNA mutations accumulated with age. Dr. Oliver Medvedik will be hosting the Journal Club which will be streamed live to the Lifespan.io Facebook page at 12:00 Eastern time on April 25th.

You may wish to read our news story ‘Inhibiting DREAM for Enhanced DNA Damage Repair’ on this study as a primer for reading the published paper.

Abstract

The DNA-repair capacity in somatic cells is limited compared with that in germ cells. It has remained unknown whether not only lesion-type-specific, but overall repair capacities could be improved. Here we show that the DREAM repressor complex curbs the DNA-repair capacities in somatic tissues of Caenorhabditis elegans. Mutations in the DREAM complex induce germline-like expression patterns of multiple mechanisms of DNA repair in the soma. Consequently, DREAM mutants confer resistance to a wide range of DNA-damage types during development and aging. Similarly, inhibition of the DREAM complex in human cells boosts DNA-repair gene expression and resistance to distinct DNA-damage types. DREAM inhibition leads to decreased DNA damage and prevents photoreceptor loss in progeroid Ercc1−/− mice. We show that the DREAM complex transcriptionally represses essentially all DNA-repair systems and thus operates as a highly conserved master regulator of the somatic limitation of DNA-repair capacities.

Join the Call

Lifespan Heroes can join us for the livestream using the connection information below:

https://lifespan-io.zoom.us/j/83770864184?pwd=c2J0MU1mZjRiRHdCbm5FNDRGSnpGZz09

Meeting ID: 837 7086 4184

Passcode: 873761

Literature

Bujarrabal-Dueso, A., Sendtner, G., Meyer, D. H., Chatzinikolaou, G., Stratigi, K., Garinis, G. A., & Schumacher, B. (2023). The DREAM complex functions as conserved master regulator of somatic DNA-repair capacities. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 1-14.

About the author

Picture of Steve Hill

Steve Hill

Steve is the Editor in Chief, coordinating the daily news articles and social media content of the organization. He is an active journalist in the aging research and biotechnology field and has to date written over 600 articles on the topic, interviewed over 100 of the leading researchers in the field, hosted livestream events focused on aging, as well as attending various medical industry conferences. He served as a member of the Lifespan.io board since 2017 until the org merged with SENS Research Foundation and formed the LRI. His work has been featured in H+ magazine, Psychology Today, Singularity Weblog, Standpoint Magazine, Swiss Monthly, Keep me Prime, and New Economy Magazine. Steve is one of three recipients of the 2020 H+ Innovator Award and shares this honour with Mirko Ranieri – Google AR and Dinorah Delfin – Immortalists Magazine. The H+ Innovator Award looks into our community and acknowledges ideas and projects that encourage social change, achieve scientific accomplishments, technological advances, philosophical and intellectual visions, author unique narratives, build fascinating artistic ventures, and develop products that bridge gaps and help us to achieve transhumanist goals. Steve has a background in project management and administration which has helped him to build a united team for effective fundraising and content creation, while his additional knowledge of biology and statistical data analysis allows him to carefully assess and coordinate the scientific groups involved in the project.
Picture of Steve Hill

Steve Hill

Steve is the Editor in Chief, coordinating the daily news articles and social media content of the organization. He is an active journalist in the aging research and biotechnology field and has to date written over 600 articles on the topic, interviewed over 100 of the leading researchers in the field, hosted livestream events focused on aging, as well as attending various medical industry conferences. He served as a member of the Lifespan.io board since 2017 until the org merged with SENS Research Foundation and formed the LRI. His work has been featured in H+ magazine, Psychology Today, Singularity Weblog, Standpoint Magazine, Swiss Monthly, Keep me Prime, and New Economy Magazine. Steve is one of three recipients of the 2020 H+ Innovator Award and shares this honour with Mirko Ranieri – Google AR and Dinorah Delfin – Immortalists Magazine. The H+ Innovator Award looks into our community and acknowledges ideas and projects that encourage social change, achieve scientific accomplishments, technological advances, philosophical and intellectual visions, author unique narratives, build fascinating artistic ventures, and develop products that bridge gaps and help us to achieve transhumanist goals. Steve has a background in project management and administration which has helped him to build a united team for effective fundraising and content creation, while his additional knowledge of biology and statistical data analysis allows him to carefully assess and coordinate the scientific groups involved in the project.