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Unveiling the AcSirt2-FOXO-Mitophagy Axis: Insights Into Mitochondrial Quality Control and Delayed Aging in Apis cerana.

Overview

Authors: Qiang Ma1,2,3, Zhengang Ma1,3, Tingyue Huang1,3, Qianmin Hai1,3, Xiaoqun Dang1,3, Jinshan Xu1,3, Jialing Bao4, Zachary Y Huang5, Zeyang Zhou1,3
ORCID iDs: Qiang Ma, Zhengang Ma, Xiaoqun Dang
  1. Key Laboratory of Pollinator Resources Conservation and Utilization of the Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
  2. Natural Drug Intervention in Aging Key Laboratory of Chongqing Education Commission, Department of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College, Chongqing, China
  3. Chongqing Key Laboratory of Vector Control and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
  4. State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
  5. Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
Institutions: Chongqing Normal University (China); Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (China); Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College (China); Southwest University (China); Michigan State University (United States)
Journal: Aging cell, volume 25, issue 8, article e70645
Dates: received 6 May 2026; accepted 14 July 2026; published online 26 July 2026; in print August 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY
Identifiers: DOI 10.1111/acel.70645 · PMID 42503023 · PMCID PMC13401901 · OpenAlex W7171318430
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: data only
Categories: other (organism), cellular / molecular (subfield)
Methods: Statistics, Machine learning, Evoked potentials
Keywords: aging, Apis cerana, FOXO, mitochondrial dynamics, mitophagy, Sirt2
MeSH: Aging*, Forkhead Transcription Factors*, Insect Proteins*, Mitochondria*, Mitophagy*, Sirtuin 2*, Animals, Bees, Mitochondrial Dynamics, Oxidative Stress, Reactive Oxygen Species (* major topic)
Topic: Sirtuins and Resveratrol in Medicine (Geriatrics and Gerontology, Medicine), according to OpenAlex
Funding: the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-44-KXJ20); the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (CSTB2025NSCQ-GPX1000, CSTB2024NSCQ-MSX0699); Chongqing Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System (COMAITS202516); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32372944, 31770160); Chongqing Graduate Student Research Innovation Project (CYS260411); the Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission (KJZD-K202500513)
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 76 references in the paper

Abstract

Cellular senescence is closely associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Sirtuin 2 (Sirt2), a member of the Sirtuin deacetylases family, plays a pivotal role in regulating energy metabolism and aging in mammals. However, its function in social insect aging remains unclear. Here, using the Eastern honey bee ( Apis cerana ) as a model, we demonstrate that the age‐related downregulation of A. cerana Sirt2 (AcSirt2) in brain tissue is coupled with progressive mitochondrial damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and a biphasic change in autophagy activity. Conversely, overexpression of AcSirt2 alleviates cellular senescence by promoting mitochondrial fusion/fission balance (via Mfn1, Mfn2, and Drp1), activating the PINK1/Parkin‐mediated mitophagy pathway, improving mitochondrial integrity, reducing oxidative stress, and enhancing ATP production. In vivo, AcSirt2 knockdown shortens honey bee lifespan and impairs locomotor ability, whereas its activation reverses these aging phenotypes. Furthermore, we show that AcSirt2 interacts with the transcription factor FOXO and mediates its deacetylation. This study reveals for the first time that the AcSirt2‐FOXO‐mitophagy axis delays aging by maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis in a social insect, providing novel insights into the development of anti‐aging strategies and the promotion of healthy beekeeping.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Code

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Data

Datasets cited

Data Availability Statement

The data supporting this study are included in the paper and its Supporting Information—S1. Transcriptomic sequencing raw data derived from the head tissues of A. cerana worker bees have been deposited in the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA) under accession number PRJNA1234368. Uncropped western blot images have been deposited in Figshare (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.31627888). Additional data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Versions

The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.

Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 9 authors, 6 keywords, 11 MeSH terms, 6 funders, 76 references.

Cite

This paper

Ma, Q., Ma, Z., Huang, T., Hai, Q., Dang, X., Xu, J., Bao, J., Huang, Z. Y., & Zhou, Z. (2026). Unveiling the AcSirt2-FOXO-Mitophagy Axis: Insights Into Mitochondrial Quality Control and Delayed Aging in Apis cerana. Aging cell, 25(8), e70645. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.70645

BibTeX

@article{ma2026unveiling,
author = {Ma, Qiang and Ma, Zhengang and Huang, Tingyue and Hai, Qianmin and Dang, Xiaoqun and Xu, Jinshan and Bao, Jialing and Huang, Zachary Y and Zhou, Zeyang},
title = {{Unveiling the AcSirt2-FOXO-Mitophagy Axis: Insights Into Mitochondrial Quality Control and Delayed Aging in Apis cerana}},
journal = {Aging cell},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
volume = {25},
number = {8},
pages = {e70645},
publisher = {Wiley},
issn = {1474-9718},
doi = {10.1111/acel.70645},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.70645},
pmid = {42503023},
pmcid = {PMC13401901}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Ma, Qiang
AU - Ma, Zhengang
AU - Huang, Tingyue
AU - Hai, Qianmin
AU - Dang, Xiaoqun
AU - Xu, Jinshan
AU - Bao, Jialing
AU - Huang, Zachary Y
AU - Zhou, Zeyang
TI - Unveiling the AcSirt2-FOXO-Mitophagy Axis: Insights Into Mitochondrial Quality Control and Delayed Aging in Apis cerana
T2 - Aging cell
J2 - Aging Cell
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/01
VL - 25
IS - 8
SP - e70645
SN - 1474-9718
PB - Wiley
DO - 10.1111/acel.70645
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.70645
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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