Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 at the crossroad of metabolic stress and inflammation in aging

Matthias Altmeyer^1,², Michael O. Hottiger¹

¹Institute of Veterinary Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
²Life Science Zurich Graduate School, Molecular Life Science Program, Zurich, Switzerland

Received: April 20, 2009Accepted: May 19, 2009Published: May 20, 2009

Copyright: © 2009 Altmeyer et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is a chromatin-associated nuclear protein, which functions as molecular stress sensor. Reactive oxygen species, responsible for the most plausible and currently acceptable global mechanism to explain the aging process, strongly activate the enzymatic activity of PARP1 and the formation of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) from NAD⁺. Consumption of NAD⁺ links PARP1 to energy metabolism and to a large number of NAD⁺-dependent enzymes, such as the sirtuins. As transcriptional cofactor for NF-κB-dependent gene expression, PARP1 is also connected to the immune response, which is implicated in almost all age-related or associated diseases. Accordingly, numerous experimental studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of PARP inhibition for several age-related diseases. This review summarizes recent findings on PARP1 and puts them in the context of metabolic stress and inflammation in aging.