DNA Damage in Longevity and Ageing (Björn Schumacher)

In this episode of the Epigenetics Podcast, we caught up with Björn Schumacher from the Institute for Genome Stability in Ageing and Disease at the University of Cologne to talk about his work on DNA damage in longevity and ageing.

In this episode Björn Schumacher discusses his research on DNA repair and its impact on ageing. We explore his insights on the effects of DNA damage on transcription, the importance of studying development, and the role of histone modifications. We also discuss paternal DNA damage inheritance and the DREAM complex as a master regulator of DNA repair. The lab’s goal is to enhance somatic DNA repair for healthier ageing and disease prevention.

References

• Schumacher, B., van der Pluijm, I., Moorhouse, M. J., Kosteas, T., Robinson, A. R., Suh, Y., Breit, T. M., van Steeg, H., Niedernhofer, L. J., van Ijcken, W., Bartke, A., Spindler, S. R., Hoeijmakers, J. H., van der Horst, G. T., & Garinis, G. A. (2008). Delayed and accelerated aging share common longevity assurance mechanisms. PLoS genetics, 4(8), e1000161. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1000161

• Ermolaeva, M. A., Segref, A., Dakhovnik, A., Ou, H. L., Schneider, J. I., Utermöhlen, O., Hoppe, T., & Schumacher, B. (2013). DNA damage in germ cells induces an innate immune response that triggers systemic stress resistance. Nature, 501(7467), 416–420. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12452

• Wang, S., Meyer, D. H., & Schumacher, B. (2023). Inheritance of paternal DNA damage by histone-mediated repair restriction. Nature, 613(7943), 365–374. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05544-w

• Bujarrabal-Dueso, A., Sendtner, G., Meyer, D. H., Chatzinikolaou, G., Stratigi, K., Garinis, G. A., & Schumacher, B. (2023). The DREAM complex functions as conserved master regulator of somatic DNA-repair capacities. Nature structural & molecular biology, 30(4), 475–488. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-023-00942-8

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