Speaker: Mirko Baranzini, PhD
National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Health
Title:
Molecular Drivers of Disease: dissecting genome instability, non-coding RNAs, and RNA modifications in aging and age‑related disease
Abstract:
Genome instability, non-coding RNAs, and RNA modifications are key drivers of aging and age-associated disease, and their contributions often emerge in distinct pathological contexts. In this seminar, I will present three lines of work in which each of these drivers plays a predominant role in a different disease model, illustrating complementary mechanisms that ultimately converge on cellular senescence and tissue dysfunction.
First, I will discuss studies in prostate cancer demonstrating that pharmacological inhibition of LINE‑1–encoded reverse transcriptase remodels nuclear architecture, induces autophagy, and reveals genome instability-linked functions with biomarker potential in neoplastic lesions. Second, I will highlight how specific microRNAs regulate vascular and cardiac remodeling in aging and obesity/diabetes models by modulating Angiotensin II signaling and responses to oxidative stress.
Third, I will present epitranscriptomic findings from senescent fibroblasts, showing how m⁶A RNA modifications shape the senescence program.
Together, these projects illustrate how genome instability, non-coding RNAs, and RNA modifications can drive disease in specific settings while pointing to shared opportunities for biomarker discovery and targeted therapies in aging-related conditions.
