elife, https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.34836 (2018)

To date, studies have indicated a correlation between the extent of DNA repair and longevity, but a mechanism was lacking. Moreover, aging is often associated with metabolic dysregulation. A new study that worked with two in vivo models firms this up, establishing a molecular link between lifespan, DNA repair, and metabolism. When DNA damage repair (DDR) was activated in Caenorhabditis elegans by treatment with moderate doses of chloroquine, a DDR activator, worms lived longer, but not worms deficient in the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) protein, a kinase and regulatory enzyme involved in DDR. Additionally, mice modeling Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a genetic disorder that results in a significant reduction in longevity, maintained on chloroquine enjoyed extended lifespan and healthspan. Finally, investigators demonstrated that ATM promotes SIRT6, a histone deacetylase associated with longevity and metabolism, stability and thereby function.