A July 2019 study by Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Methodist Research Institute found that, “moderate chromatin stress [chromatin architectural defect] levels set off a stress response in yeast, the tiny laboratory worm C. elegans, the fruit fly and mouse embryonic stem cells, and in yeast and C. elegans the response promotes longevity.”
Professor Weiwei Dang said, "Chromatin stress refers to disruptions in the way DNA is packed within the nucleus of the cell …One of the factors that influences chromatin structure is proteins called histones.
Ruofan Yu, first author, said, “Unexpectedly, we found that yeast with fewer copies of histone genes lived longer than the controls…We have identified a previously unrecognized and unexpected form of stress that triggers a response that benefits the organism,"
Professor Dang said, “Our findings suggest that the chromatin stress response may also be present in other organisms. If present in humans, it would offer new possibilities to intervene in the aging process."