Systematic transcriptome analysis associated with physiological and chronological aging in Caenorhabditis elegans

Aging is associated with changes in a variety of biological processes at the transcriptomic level, including gene expression. Two types of aging occur during a lifetime: chronological and physiological aging. However, dissecting the difference between chronological and physiological ages at the transcriptomic level has been a challenge because of its complexity. We analyzed the transcriptomic features associated with physiological and chronological aging using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model. Many structural and functional transcript elements, such as noncoding RNAs and intron-derived transcripts, were up-regulated with chronological aging. In contrast, mRNAs with many biological functions, including RNA processing, were down-regulated with physiological aging. We also identified an age-dependent increase in the usage of distal 3 ' splice sites in mRNA transcripts as a biomarker of physiological aging. Our study provides crucial information for dissecting chronological and physiological aging at the transcriptomic level.

Automated summary

Our study analyzed the relationship between transcriptomic features and physiological and chronological aging using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model. We found that noncoding RNAs and intron-derived transcripts were up-regulated with chronological aging, while mRNAs with many biological functions were down-regulated with physiological aging. Additionally, an increase in the usage of distal 3' splice sites in mRNA transcripts was identified as a biomarker for physiological aging.