Longevity & AgingSRSF1 Rejuvenates Aged Cells and Extends Mouse Lifespan Without Erasing Cell Identity
Researchers have identified SRSF1, an RNA-splicing factor, as a promising rejuvenation molecule. Its levels fall as skin cells age. The team first trained a machine-learning model to estimate a cell's age from its gene activity, using skin cells from people aged 1 to 96. They then screened genes linked to aging networks and found that boosting SRSF1 reversed the cells' age signature about as well as the Yamanaka reprogramming factors. Unlike those factors, it did not make cells lose their identity. In cultured cells, SRSF1 lowered senescence markers, inflammation and protein stress while switching on DNA repair. In aged mice, a short-term boost cut frailty by 44%, sped wound closure, lowered mortality risk and extended median lifespan by 14%, even though the delivery virus mainly targeted the liver. The findings are early and come from mice and cell cultures, but they point toward rejuvenation strategies that avoid the risks of full reprogramming.
