Deactivation of the GATA Transcription Factor ELT-2 Is a Major Driver of Normal Aging in C. elegans

To understand the molecular processes underlying aging,we screened modencode chip-seq data to identify transcription factors that bind to age-regulated genes in c. elegans. the most significant hit was the gata transcription factor encoded by elt-2,which is responsible for inducing expression of intestinal genes during embryogenesis. expression of elt-2 decreases during aging,beginning in middle age. we identified genes regulated by elt-2 in the intestine during embryogenesis,and then showed that these developmental genes markedly decrease in expression as worms grow old. overexpression of elt-2 extends lifespan and slows the rate of gene expression changes that occur during normal aging. thus,our results identify the developmental regulator elt-2 as a major driver of normal aging in c. elegans. © 2016 mann et al.