Active Motif's Podcast

In this episode of the Epigenetics Podcast, we talked with Weiwei Dang from Baylor College of Medicine about his work on molecular mechanisms of aging and the role of H3K36me3 and cryptic transcription in cellular aging. The team in the Weiwei Dang lab explored the connection between histone marks, specifically H4K16 acetylation and H3K36 methylation, and aging. Dr. Dang describes how the lab conducted experiments by mutating H4K16 to determine its effect on lifespan. They observed that the mutation to glutamine accelerated the aging process and shortened lifespan, providing causal evidence for the relationship between H4K16 and lifespan. They also discovered that mutations in acetyltransferase and demethylase enzymes had opposite effects on lifespan, further supporting a causal relationship. Weiwei Dang then discusses their expanded research on aging, conducting high-throughput screens to identify other histone residues and mutants in yeast that regulate aging. They found that most mutations at K36 shortened