Genetics of aging, progeria and lamin disorders.

Abstract

Premature aging disorders, like Werner syndrome, Bloom's syndrome, and Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), have been the subjects of immense interest as they recapitulate many of the phenotypes observed in physiological aging. They, therefore, not only provide model systems to study normal aging processes but also give valuable insights into the intricate mechanisms underlying senescence. Recent works on HGPS have revealed alterations in a spectrum of cellular and molecular pathways involved in the maintenance of genomic integrity, thus suggesting a profound impact of the nuclear lamina in nuclear organization, chromatin dynamics, regulation of gene expression and epigenetics.