Abstract
Recent studies, including Horvath’s landmark universal epigenetic clock (August 2023) and subsequent comparative analyses, highlight four deeply conserved “plant-present” genes—HDAC2, PRC2, SNX1, and LARP1—as key regulators of aging across eukaryotes. Notably, HDAC2 and PRC2 also appear in searches relating to “lamin A”/“progeria,” suggesting that premature aging syndromes may co-opt epigenetic systems first established in plant-like ancestors. SNX1 and LARP1 would also be expected to be found associated with progeria/lamin a but likely not enough studies exist for these genes for studies to appear in this context yet. In parallel, mitochondrial-centered queries underscore genes like c-JUN and HDAC2 as top hits for mammalian mitochondrial aging, reflecting broad conservation with insect aging pathways. Here, we integrate new insights from two recent articles—“Primordial Pathways of Aging” (Feb 2025) and “The Four Horsemen of Aging” (Jan 2025)—to illustrate how these universal genes bridge plant vascular senescence and metazoan aging modules. We argue that progeria (and other accelerated aging syndromes) exploits fundamental chromatin and mitochondrial regulatory circuits with roots in our earliest eukaryotic forebears.