GSE124197
A Genome-wide CRISPR-Based Screen Identifies KAT7 as a Senescence Driver
Understanding the genetic and epigenetic bases of cellular senescence is instrumental to aging intervention. We performed genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9-based screens in two human mesenchymal precursor cell (hMPC) models of progeroid syndromes and identified hundreds of genes whose deficiency alleviated cellular senescence. Among them, KAT7, a histone acetyltransferase, ranked as a top hit in both models. Inactivation of KAT7 decreased H3 lysine 14 acetylation (H3K14ac), repressed p15INK4b transcription, and rejuvenated both physiologically and pathologically aged cells. Moreover, lentiviral vectors encoding Cas9/sg-Kat7 alleviated liver senescence and extended healthspan and lifespan of mice. Our findings demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9-based genetic screening is a robust method for systematically uncovering unknown senescence genes, of which KAT7 may represent a new therapeutic target for aging intervention. Overall design: CRISPR screen, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq and Hi-C