{"id":{"repo_id":"nus","oai_identifier":"oai:scholarbank.nus.edu.sg:10635/214487"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/nus/oai:scholarbank.nus.edu.sg:10635/214487","repository":{"repo_id":"nus","name":"National University of Singapore","base_url":"https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"STUDY OF EPIGENETIC REGULATORS AND SIGNATURES OF AGING","abstract":"Epigenetic alteration is a hallmark of aging, but it remains unclear if perturbation of transcription machineries may affect longevity. NELF-mediated pausing of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) constitutes an important step in transcription regulation. I found that halving NELF-A level in heterozygous mutants or via neuronal-specific depletion of NELF-A improves locomotor activity, stress resistance and lifespan of Drosophila significantly. Mechanistically, lower NELF-A releases paused RNAPII to facilitate productive transcription of the heat-shock protein (Hsp) genes. Elevated HSPs attenuate the level of protein aggregation, reactive oxidative species, DNA damage and systemic inflammation in the brains of NELF-A depleted flies. This protection is conserved in human cells where NELF-A depletion confers improved resistance against oxidative stress. Reduced oxidative DNA damage allows the maintenance of H3K9me2-enriched heterochromatin, which represses the activation of specific retrotransposons during aging. Therefore, by regulating transcription of Hsp genes in the brains, NELF-A controls multiple aspects of aging in Drosophila.","abstract_html":"Epigenetic alteration is a hallmark of aging, but it remains unclear if perturbation of transcription machineries may affect longevity. NELF-mediated pausing of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) constitutes an important step in transcription regulation. I found that halving NELF-A level in heterozygous mutants or via neuronal-specific depletion of NELF-A improves locomotor activity, stress resistance and lifespan of Drosophila significantly. Mechanistically, lower NELF-A releases paused RNAPII to facilitate productive transcription of the heat-shock protein (Hsp) genes. Elevated HSPs attenuate the level of protein aggregation, reactive oxidative species, DNA damage and systemic inflammation in the brains of NELF-A depleted flies. This protection is conserved in human cells where NELF-A depletion confers improved resistance against oxidative stress. Reduced oxidative DNA damage allows the maintenance of H3K9me2-enriched heterochromatin, which represses the activation of specific retrotransposons during aging. Therefore, by regulating transcription of Hsp genes in the brains, NELF-A controls multiple aspects of aging in Drosophila.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["NGIAN ZHEN KAI"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-08-16","date_published":"2021-08-16","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:33:22Z","subjects":["Drosophila, Nelf-A, healthspan, heat-shock proteins, heterochromatin, stress responses"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["NGIAN ZHEN KAI"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2021-08-16"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/214487"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Drosophila, Nelf-A, healthspan, heat-shock proteins, heterochromatin, stress responses"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/bitstreams/a8693b62-4041-49db-a1cb-5aa3bac0cc11/download"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Epigenetic alteration is a hallmark of aging, but it remains unclear if perturbation of transcription machineries may affect longevity. NELF-mediated pausing of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) constitutes an important step in transcription regulation. I found that halving NELF-A level in heterozygous mutants or via neuronal-specific depletion of NELF-A improves locomotor activity, stress resistance and lifespan of Drosophila significantly. Mechanistically, lower NELF-A releases paused RNAPII to facilitate productive transcription of the heat-shock protein (Hsp) genes. Elevated HSPs attenuate the level of protein aggregation, reactive oxidative species, DNA damage and systemic inflammation in the brains of NELF-A depleted flies. This protection is conserved in human cells where NELF-A depletion confers improved resistance against oxidative stress. Reduced oxidative DNA damage allows the maintenance of H3K9me2-enriched heterochromatin, which represses the activation of specific retrotransposons during aging. Therefore, by regulating transcription of Hsp genes in the brains, NELF-A controls multiple aspects of aging in Drosophila."]},{"key":"dc:format.checksum.md5","label":"Dc Format Checksum Md5","values":["839ed8c71346fabc9fd92459df93c5fc","bc3d96436bd5e748970e18201899f10d"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["STUDY OF EPIGENETIC REGULATORS AND SIGNATURES OF AGING"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["NGIAN ZHEN KAI"],"dc:date.issued":["2021-08-16"],"dc:description.abstract":["Epigenetic alteration is a hallmark of aging, but it remains unclear if perturbation of transcription machineries may affect longevity. NELF-mediated pausing of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) constitutes an important step in transcription regulation. I found that halving NELF-A level in heterozygous mutants or via neuronal-specific depletion of NELF-A improves locomotor activity, stress resistance and lifespan of Drosophila significantly. Mechanistically, lower NELF-A releases paused RNAPII to facilitate productive transcription of the heat-shock protein (Hsp) genes. Elevated HSPs attenuate the level of protein aggregation, reactive oxidative species, DNA damage and systemic inflammation in the brains of NELF-A depleted flies. This protection is conserved in human cells where NELF-A depletion confers improved resistance against oxidative stress. Reduced oxidative DNA damage allows the maintenance of H3K9me2-enriched heterochromatin, which represses the activation of specific retrotransposons during aging. 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