Lifespan is largely determined by the rate at which we age. In the Riedel laboratory we use the nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans as a model system to understand the pathways that can accelerate or impair this process. C. Elegans is ideal for ageing-related research, as it is technically well established, short-lived (allowing for lifespan as an easily measurable phenotype), and very responsive to alterations in its ageing-regulatory pathways. The laboratory combines biochemistry (Proteomics, ChIP-Seq,…) with high-throughput genetic screening approaches (RNAi), to understand the regulation of ageing at molecular and mechanistic resolution.
Recently, we have focused on the mechanistic exploration of lifespan regulatory transcription factors, in particular DAF-16(FOXO) – a central driver of longevity that integrates many lifespan extending stimuli, i.e. nutrient deprivation, various stresses, or cues of infertility to confer transcription of a wide range of stress resistance and longevity determining genes. This work is complemented by studies on chromatin states, their remodelling, and how they cooperate with transcription factors in the regulation of ageing and age-related disease.