Werner syndrome exonuclease promotes gut regeneration but causes age-associated gut hyperplasia

Human Werner syndrome (adult progeria, a well-established model of human aging) is caused by mutations in the Werner syndrome (WRN) gene. However, the expression patterns and functions of WRN in natural aging remain poorly understood. Despite the link between WRN deficiencies and progeria, our analyses of human colon tissues, cultured mouse crypts, and Drosophila midguts revealed that WRN expression does not decrease but increases in intestinal stem cells (ISCs) upon aging.To identify the mechanism by which WRNexo promotes ISC proliferation during Drosophila midgut regeneration, RNA-seq was performed on dissected midguts from WRNexo-null and wild-type flies before and after BLM-induced injury.