BUFFALO, NY — July 21, 2026 — A new #research paper was #published in Volume 18 of Aging on July 6, 2026, titled “Inhibition of peroxisomal protein PRX-11 promotes longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans via enhancements to mitochondria.”
The study was authored by Yash Flora, Dhriti Shastri, Kathryn R. DeLeo, and K. Adam Bohnert from the Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University.
Aging is accompanied by the gradual decline of many cellular structures that help maintain healthy tissues and organs. Among these are peroxisomes, which play essential roles in breaking down toxic molecules and metabolizing lipids, and mitochondria, which generate most of the cell’s energy. Although these organelles work closely together, little has been known about how changes in one influence the aging of the other. This new study reveals that preserving peroxisomes helps maintain healthier mitochondria and extends lifespan in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, providing new insight into how communication between cellular organelles influences aging.
In this study, the researchers investigated the function of PRX-11, a peroxisomal protein involved in peroxisome division. Previous work from the group showed that reducing PRX-11 activity prevents the age-related degradation of peroxisomes through a process known as pexophagy and increases lifespan. The new study explored why preserving peroxisomes produces these beneficial effects and found that maintaining peroxisomes also preserves mitochondrial health during aging.
The researchers found that animals with reduced PRX-11 activity retained long, interconnected mitochondrial networks that resembled those seen in young adults, whereas normal aging was associated with progressive mitochondrial fragmentation. These preserved mitochondria also accumulated less calcium, generated lower levels of oxidative stress, maintained higher ATP-to-ADP ratios, and were associated with improved locomotor function in older animals. Together, these findings indicate that preventing age-related peroxisome loss supports multiple aspects of mitochondrial function during aging.
Full press release - https://www.aging-us.com/news-room/preserving-peroxisomes-helps-maintain-mitochondrial-health-and-extend-lifespan-in-c-elegans
DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206395
Corresponding author - K. Adam Bohnert - bohnerta@lsu.edu
Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbcqBsP90CY
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Keywords - aging, cellular aging, lifespan, pexophagy, mitochondrial tubulation, inter-organelle crosstalk
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