Abstract
Aging is a complex process that results in loss of the ability to reattain homeostasis following stress, leading, thereby, to increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Many factors contribute to aging, such as the time-dependent accumulation of macromolecular damage, including DNA damage. The integrity of the nuclear genome is essential for cellular, tissue, and organismal health. DNA damage is a constant threat because nucleic acids are chemically unstable under physiological conditions and vulnerable to attack by endogenous and environmental factors. To combat this, all organisms possess highly conserved mechanisms to detect and repair DNA damage. Persistent DNA damage (genotoxic stress) triggers signaling cascades that drive cells into apoptosis or senescence to avoid replicating a damaged genome. The drawback is that these cancer avoidance mechanisms promote aging. Here, we review evidence that DNA damage plays a causal role in aging. We also provide evidence that genotoxic stress is linked to other cellular processes implicated as drivers of aging, including mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction, altered proteostasis and inflammation. These links between damage to the genetic code and other pillars of aging support the notion that DNA damage could be the root of aging.
Highlights
Aging is a multifactorial process that results in increased risk of a myriad of chronic diseases
This intimates that DNA damage is a hazardous type of macromolecular damage and likely to be deleterious to cellular homeostasis
There is sufficient and diverse evidence to support a cogent argument that DNA damage plays a causal role in aging
Summary
Aging is a multifactorial process that results in increased risk of a myriad of chronic diseases. The pillars of aging (Kennedy et al, 2014) describe the method by which (or how) we age: loss of or impaired, mitochondrial integrity and function, metabolism, stem cell function, proteostasis, nutrient sensing, adaptation to stress, autophagic flux, epigenetic control, and an accumulation of damaged cellular macromolecules. This includes damage to the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. This suggests that aging might be driven by many types of cellular damage yet does not occur until
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