Abstract
Intermittent fasting (IF) remains the most effective intervention to achieve robust anti-aging effects and attenuation of age-related diseases in various species. Epigenetic modifications mediate the biological effects of several environmental factors on gene expression; however, no information is available on the effects of IF on the epigenome. Here, we first found that IF for 3 months caused modulation of H3K9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) in the cerebellum, which in turn orchestrated a plethora of transcriptomic changes involved in robust metabolic switching processes commonly observed during IF. Second, a portion of both the epigenomic and transcriptomic modulations induced by IF was remarkably preserved for at least 3 months post-IF refeeding, indicating that memory of IF-induced epigenetic changes was maintained. Notably, though, we found that termination of IF resulted in a loss of H3K9me3 regulation of the transcriptome. Collectively, our study characterizes the novel effects of IF on the epigenetic-transcriptomic axis, which controls myriad metabolic processes. The comprehensive analyses undertaken in this study reveal a molecular framework for understanding how IF impacts the metabolo-epigenetic axis of the brain and will serve as a valuable resource for future research.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2171-2194 |
Number of pages | 24 |
Journal | GeroScience |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 31 Mar 2022 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2022 |
Keywords
- Cerebellum
- Epigenetics
- Intermittent fasting
- Metabolism
- Transcriptomics
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Ageing
- Complementary and alternative medicine
- veterinary (miscalleneous)