A hallmark of aging is loss of information in gene regulatory networks: gene expression becomes less correlated with biological age. These networks are tightly connected, raising the question of whether information could be restored by perturbing single genes. We develop a simple theoretical framework for information transmission in gene regulatory networks that describes the information gained or lost when a gene is “knocked in” (exogenously expressed). Applying the framework to gene expression data from muscle cells in young and old mice, we find that single knock-ins can restore network information by up to 10%. Our work advances the study of information flow in networks and identifies potential gene targets for rejuvenation.

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• Biological information processing
• Gene expression
• Polymer aging
• Gene regulatory networks