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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.02.15.706013

Cell enlargement drives aging-associated proteome remodeling and shortens replicative lifespan

Lanz, M. C.·Hotz, M.·Kroll-Ling, R.·Wang, E.·Kim, J.·Elias, J. E.·Gottschling, D. E.·Skotheim, J.
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Abstract

The molecular and cellular basis of aging and its associated functional decline remains poorly understood. Even free-living microorganisms age and, in yeast, replicative aging shares key hallmarks with human cellular senescence, including progressive cell enlargement. Recent work has shown that chemical and genetic manipulations that increase cell size promote the onset of senescence in both yeast and human cells, suggesting that cell enlargement can drive some of the physiological changes associated with aging. Here, we quantitatively determined how cell enlargement contributes to age-associated physiology in yeast by combining automated aging technologies with quantitative proteomics. We find that the majority of aging-associated proteome remodeling can be recapitulated by genetically enlarging young proliferating cells. These enlarged cells exhibit accelerated proteome aging and shortened replicative lifespans, while smaller cells are longer-lived. While cell enlargement is the predominant factor driving proteome remodeling during aging, we also identified a minority of aging-specific molecular markers whose expression influences lifespan. Together, our results demonstrate that cell enlargement is a major driver of aging-associated proteome remodeling and influences lifespan independently of established aging factors such as extrachromosomal rDNA circles.

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Lanz, M. C., Hotz, M., Kroll-Ling, R., Wang, E., Kim, J., Elias, J. E., Gottschling, D. E., Skotheim, J.. 2026-02-16. Cell enlargement drives aging-associated proteome remodeling and shortens replicative lifespan. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.15.706013

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