BMAL1 and YAP cooperate to hijack enhancers and promote inflammation in the aged epidermis [RNA-seq Aged_adult]

Ageing is characterised by persistent low-grade inflammation that is linked to impaired tissue homeostasis and functionality. However, the molecular mechanisms driving age-associated inflammation remain poorly understood. The mammalian skin is a clinically relevant target of age-driven inflammation associated with compromised barrier function, inefficient wound healing, elevated oxidative stress, and DNA damage accumulation. Here, we show that upon ageing a previously uncharacterised BMAL1–YAP transcriptional complex is hijacked from chromatin regions associated with homeostatic genes in adult epidermis and redirected to inflammation-related enhancers, amplifying the transcription of their target genes. Independently of its known role as a core circadian clock component, BMAL1 partners with the mechanosensitive transcriptional cofactor YAP at enhancer regions to regulate epidermal identity genes. In contrast, in aged skin, BMAL1–YAP complexes bind to enhancers of inflammation-related genes, co-regulated by NF-κB. Interestingly, aged pro-inflammatory signals from the IL-17 pathway activate YAP in a Hippo-independent manner. These findings unveil a transcriptional mechanism underlying epidermal ageing, linking chromatin dynamics to inflammatory transcriptional programs through BMAL1–YAP-bound enhancer rewiring. By elucidating how ageing reprograms transcriptional networks, our work highlights potential strategies to counteract chronic inflammation and restore tissue homeostasis across age-related loss of functionality.