3 replies to this topic

[johnhemming]

I wondered why certain Genes stop being transcribed when living entities get older.

 

There are now at least three papers which show that the longer genes are the ones that stop working.

 

Gene Size Matters: An Analysis of Gene Length in the Human Genome

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC7905317/

 

Aging is associated with a systemic length-associated transcriptome imbalance

https://www.nature.c...587-022-00317-6

 

Age- or lifestyle-induced accumulation of genotoxicity is associated with a generalized shutdown of long gene transcription

https://www.biorxiv.....07.22.501099v1

 

I think this is caused by difficulties with acetylation (which is a different cause to those identified by others).

 

 

 

 

[QuestforLife]

Not at all suprising. Most of the genome is regulatory, not protein making, so it stands to reasons that if the genome is corrupted in some way, it is most likely that this would affect regulatory regions. As long genes require more splicing, it is also the longer proteins that you'd expect to fall in concentration with age. 

[LifeGoesOn]

One quick off the top of my head reason long genes tend to stop working earlier or more frequently than short genes is because the longer the gene the more quickly it will accumulate mutations

[johnhemming]

https://www.nature.c...588-021-00930-y