Longevity & AgingRNA Splicing Errors Drive Aging — and Could Be the Next Therapeutic Target
As we age, our cells increasingly misread their own genetic instructions. A new review in Trends in Molecular Medicine proposes that errors in RNA splicing — the process by which cells trim and reassemble genetic transcripts into functional proteins — are a central driver of aging. These errors include retaining sections of RNA that should be removed, using incorrect splice sites, and failing quality-control checkpoints. The authors connect these molecular failures to stem-cell dysfunction, tissue deterioration, and diseases like clonal hematopoiesis and neurodegeneration. They introduce the concept of a 'splicing axis of aging' as a unifying framework and argue that restoring proper RNA processing could open new avenues for anti-aging therapies. The review synthesizes evidence from mechanistic, stem-cell, and longevity research to make the case that RNA-processing fidelity deserves recognition as a core hallmark of aging.
