Augmentation of the heat shock axis during exceptional longevity in Ames dwarf mice

How the heat shock axis, repair pathways, and proteostasis impact the rate of aging is not fully understood. Recent reports indicate that normal aging leads to a 50% change in several regulatory elements of the heat shock axis. Most notably is the age-dependent enhancement of inhibitory signals associated with accumulated heat shock proteins and hyper-acetylation associated with marked attenuation of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1)–DNA binding activity. Because exceptional longevity is associated with increased resistance to stress, this study evaluated regulatory check points of the heat shock axis in liver extracts from 12 months and 24 months long-lived Ames dwarf mice and compared these findings with aging wild-type mice. This analysis showed that 12M dwarf and wild-type mice have comparable stress responses, whereas old dwarf mice, unlike old wild-type mice, preserve and enhance activating elements of the heat shock axis. Old dwarf mice thwart negative regulation of the heat shock axis typically observed in usual aging such as noted in HSF1 phosphorylation at Ser307 residue, acetylation within its DNA binding domain, and reduction in proteins that attenuate HSF1–DNA binding. Unlike usual aging, dwarf HSF1 protein and mRNA levels increase with age and further enhance by stress. Together these observations suggest that exceptional longevity is associated with compensatory and enhanced HSF1 regulation as an adaptation to age-dependent forces that otherwise downregulate the heat shock axis.