Transcription-coupled repair and premature ageing

Abstract

During the past decades, several cellular pathways have been discovered to be connected with the ageing process. These pathways, which either suppress or enhance the ageing process, include regulation of the insulin/growth hormone axis, pathways involved with caloric restriction, ROS metabolism and DNA repair. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive overview of cancer and/or accelerated ageing pathologies associated with defects in the multi-step nucleotide excision repair pathway. Moreover, we will discuss evidence suggesting that there is a causative link between transcription-coupled repair and ageing.