A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science), Volume 16, Issue 20 on October 17, 2024, entitled, "Werner syndrome RECQ helicase participates in and directs maintenance of the protein complexes of constitutive heterochromatin in proliferating human cells." Researchers from the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Washington have discovered that the Werner syndrome gene (WRN), linked to premature aging, plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular organization and DNA stability. Their study shows that loss of WRN function disrupts essential protein interactions, potentially accelerating aging as cells lose structural integrity.
Werner syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that causes accelerated aging due to mutations in the WRN gene, which disrupts normal cell functions. The WRN gene is typically responsible for essential tasks like DNA repair, replication, and maintaining telomeres-;the protective caps on DNA that shorten with age. However, exactly how WRN loss leads to faster aging is still not fully understood.
In this study, researchers Pavlo Lazarchuk, Matthew Manh Nguyen, Crina M. Curca, Maria N. Pavlova, Junko Oshima, and Julia M.
Sidorova found that beyond its known roles, the WRN gene is also essential for maintaining a specialized structure in the cell nucleus called constitutive heterochromatin (CH). CH is a densely packed form of DNA that keeps certain pa.