Male mouse colon transcriptome: nonlinear gene-expression trajectories across adult aging
In 83 RNA-Seq samples from male mouse colon across five adult time points, gene-expression changes followed multiple parallel and often non-monotonic trajectories, with a major mid- to late-life shift and a collapse of the unfolded protein response. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The analysis used 83 RNA-Seq samples from male mouse colon at five time points during the adult lifespan. [1]
A major shift occurred during a mid- to late-life transition, marked by a collapse of the unfolded protein response. [1]
A compact transcriptomic clock built from only three genes was validated using an independent RNA-seq dataset and qPCR data. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Abstract of a transcriptomic aging study
- Population / context
- Male mouse colon tissue across the adult lifespan
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Publication status
- Preprint · peer-review status not confirmed
- Original publication
- October 8, 2026
Colon transcriptome sampled at five adult time points
The authors describe a gap: how gene expression changes over time during aging, especially through midlife, is poorly defined in many tissues. They address this in the male mouse colon using a dataset of 83 RNA-Seq samples from five time points during the adult mouse lifespan. This is an abstract; the full text was not reviewed.
Supporting source [1]
Parallel trajectories and a mid- to late-life UPR collapse
The authors report that colon aging involved multiple gene-expression trajectories unfolding in parallel. A major shift occurred during a mid- to late-life transition, marked by a collapse of the unfolded protein response (UPR), a cellular stress-response program. They also report widespread non-monotonic trajectories, including genes that peak or dip in midlife; such patterns would be missed by comparisons limited to young versus old ages.
Supporting source [1]
Transposable elements, entropy and a three-gene clock
The authors further describe age-dependent dynamics of transcripts containing transposable elements and a nonlinear course of transcriptomic entropy across the lifespan. They identify a small set of genes that track chronological age and use only three of them to build a compact transcriptomic clock, which they validate using an independent RNA-seq dataset and qPCR data. These are findings in male mouse colon tissue, not evidence of human lifespan effects.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. Findings come from male mouse colon tissue and do not establish human outcomes or lifespan effects.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Olecka M, Riege K, Haase M, Schwarz R, Wang C, Best L, Witte OW, Kaleta C, Frahm C, Hoffmann S. · europepmc.org · October 8, 2026