Caloric restriction and somatic mutations in mouse liver, kidney and brain cells
In mice, caloric restriction was linked to fewer genome-wide somatic mutations in bulk liver, bulk kidney, hepatocytes and cerebellar neurons, including fewer mutations from the SBS5 process; effects varied by sample type. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
In mice, caloric restriction reduced genome-wide somatic mutation burdens in bulk liver, bulk kidney, hepatocytes and cerebellar neurons. [1]
Caloric restriction reduced substitution and insertion/deletion burdens, with effect sizes varying by sample type. [1]
The mutation burden reduction was greatest in transcriptionally inactive regions. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Animal study reported in an abstract
- Population / context
- Mice; liver, kidney, hepatocytes and cerebellar neurons were examined.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 9, 2026
Mouse tissues tested with duplex DNA sequencing
The abstract describes mice whose liver, kidney, hepatocytes and cerebellar neurons were examined. The researchers used high-fidelity duplex DNA sequencing to measure somatic mutations, which accumulate over life and are described as part of genomic instability, a hallmark of aging. Caloric restriction was compared with the situation without it, and the abstract reports that restriction reduced genome-wide somatic mutation burdens across multiple tissues and cell types.
Supporting source [1]
Fewer substitutions, insertions/deletions and SBS5 mutations
According to the abstract, caloric restriction reduced both substitution burdens and insertion/deletion burdens, and the size of these effects differed between sample types. Restriction also decreased the activity of the single-base substitution process SBS5, which the abstract calls enigmatic and says gives rise to most mutations in mammals. Unexpectedly, the reduction in mutation burden was greatest in regions that were not transcriptionally active.
Supporting source [1]
Abstract-only mouse findings, not human lifespan evidence
The abstract states that caloric restriction has been shown to extend lifespan across diverse species, but the mutation measurements reported here come from mice. The work is presented as illuminating links between diet, aging and genomic integrity and as establishing genomic integrity as a modifiable axis of aging. These are associations in an animal model; the abstract does not report human outcomes, and it does not show that reducing these mutations extends lifespan.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
This is an abstract; the full text was not reviewed. The mutation findings come from mice, and the abstract reports no human outcomes. It does not show that fewer mutations extend lifespan.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Grońska-Pęski M, Acosta-Rodríguez V, Srinivasa A, Garrido A, Picciotto S, Green CB, Takahashi JS, Shoag JE, Evrony GD. · europepmc.org · September 9, 2026