Domestic researchers have revealed that the 'PELOTA protein' is a key regulator that slows aging and induces longevity. It is expected to provide a new turning point for treatment strategies for human aging and degenerative brain diseases.
Professor Lee Seung-jae from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and his research team, in collaboration with Professor Seo Jin-su from Yonsei University and researcher Lee Kwang-pyo from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), noted on the 18th that they discovered the PELOTA protein, which is important for ribosome quality control, regulates the rate of aging. The research results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on the 4th.
As aging progresses, the quality of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and proteins within cells deteriorates, which is known to lead to various degenerative diseases. However, the association with aging at the ribonucleic acid (RNA) level had not been clearly established.
The research team utilized the C. elegans, which is widely used in aging studies due to its short lifespan, and discovered that the PELOTA protein is essential for longevity. The PELOTA protein plays a key role in maintaining cellular translational homeostasis by detecting and resolving errors that occur during the translation of messenger RNA (mRNA) into proteins at the ribosome.
In normal nematodes, the depletion of the PELOTA protein leads to abnormal activation of the mTOR signaling pathway and suppression of autophagic function, promoting aging, whereas activating PELOTA can maintain cellular homeostasis and extend lifespan. The mTOR signaling pathway regulates growth, protein synthesis, and autophagy, while the autophagy pathway is the cell's cleaning and recycling system. Notably, this finding was preserved in mice and humans.
Professor Lee Seung-jae stated, "Until now, the connection between quality control at the DNA and protein levels and aging has been well understood, but molecular evidence that the RNA-level quality control system functionally contributes to lifespan regulation has been very rare." He added, "This research provides strong evidence showing that the removal of abnormal RNA is one of the key axes in the aging regulation network."
References
PNAS (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2505217122