Table 1. Hallmarks of aging in comparison with Werner syndrome.
Aging hallmarks | Brief description | Werner syndrome (WS) | Reference for WS |
---|---|---|---|
Genome
instability |
Alteration to the genetic information over time
due to DNA damage and defective DNA repair mechanisms. Genomic instability affects overall functions of the cell. |
Patient cells show gross genomic
instability. WRN-deficient cells display large deletions. |
Salk
et al.
8
Chen et al. 9 |
Telomere
attrition |
Progressive decrease in telomere length over
multiple cell divisions. Telomere attrition mainly occurs owing to the end-replication problem and the lack of telomerase enzyme. |
WRN interacts with Pot1 and TRF2
components of the shelterin complex to promote telomere maintenance. Telomere length in older patients with WS (40–60 years) is markedly shorter than in younger patients with WS (~30 years) and age-matched non-WS individuals. |
Opresko
et al.
11
Ishikawa et al. 10 Tokita et al. 72 |
Epigenetic
alterations |
Involves alterations in the DNA methylation patterns,
post-translational modification of histones, and chromatin remodeling |
Patients with WS show an increased
DNA methylation age with an average of 6.4 years. WRN interacts with methylation complex consisting of SUV39H1, HP1α, and LAP2β, which is responsible for the epigenetic histone mark H3K9 trimethylation (H3K9me3). In response to DNA damage, WRN recruits chromatin assembly factor 1 (CAF-1) to alter chromatin structure. |
Maierhofer
et al.
12
Jiao et al. 78 Zhang et al. 14 |
Loss of
proteostasis |
Impairment of protein homeostasis due to
accumulation of misfolded proteins and deregulation of proteolytic system. Chronic expression of misfolded, unfolded, or aggregation of proteins contributes to the development of age- related pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease and cataracts. |
Cataracts are one of the most common
features observed in patients with WS. WRN expression is severely affected by promoter hypermethylation in age- related cataract lens cells. |
Zhu et al. 15 |
Mitochondrial
dysfunction |
Reduction in the biogenesis of mitochondria and
mitophagy. Reduced ATP production coupled with increased electron leakage. Oxidation of mitochondrial proteins. |
WS cells show increased reactive
oxygen species (ROS) production. Hepatocytes of Wrn (Δhel/Δhel) mice have decreased mitochondria and show altered mitochondrial functions. |
Cogger et al. 16 |
Cellular
senescence |
Stable arrest of the cell cycle coupled with
stereotyped phenotypic changes such as the accumulation of persistent DNA damage, senescence-associated β-galactosidase, p16 INK4A, and/or telomere shortening |
Cellular senescence is a striking feature
of WS patient cells. WRN deficiency increased the accumulation of persistent DNA damage, p16, and senescence- associated β-galactosidase. |
Norwood
et al.
73
Lu et al. 13 |
Deregulated
nutrient sensing |
Somatotropic axis essentially consisting of growth
hormone, insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and II), and their carrier proteins and receptors regulates metabolism in mammals. In addition to insulin–IGF-1 (IIS) signaling pathway, which senses glucose, three interconnected nutrient sensing systems are associated with aging. The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) senses high amino acid concentrations, AMPK (5′- adenosine monophosphate [AMP]-activated protein kinase) senses low-energy states by detecting high AMP levels, and sirtuins sense low-energy states by detecting high NAD + levels. With aging, IIS pathway decreases, mTOR activity increases, AMPK upregulates in skeletal muscles, and sirtuins are downregulated. |
WRN protects against starvation-induced
autophagy. Further research is required to elaborate the role of WRN in regulating nutrient-sensing mechanisms. |
Maity et al. 17 |
Stem cell
exhaustion |
A decline in the proliferation of stem and progenitor
cells, which are required for tissue regeneration |
WRN-deficient mesenchymal stem cells
showed progressive disorganization of heterochromatin and premature senescence. |
Zhang et al. 14 |
Altered
intercellular communication |
Enhanced activation of nuclear factor kappa
B (NF-κB) and increased production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and cytokines resulting in age-associated alteration in intercellular communication. Accumulation of pro-inflammatory tissue damage, failure of immune system to clear pathogens and dysfunctional host cells, and occurrence of defective autophagy response. Bystander effect in which senescent cells induce senescence in neighboring cells via gap junction–mediated cell-cell contacts and ROS. |
Patients with WS have elevated
levels of inflammation-driven aging- associated cytokines (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, granulocyte macrophage colony- stimulating factor [GM-CSF], IL-2, TNF- α, interferon gamma [IFNγ], monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 [MCP-1], and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor [G- CSF]) compared with normal individuals. |
Goto et al. 18 |