Studying the Genetic Component in LongevityScientists are reporting the results of a detailed study on the gene-expression patterns in C. elegans (roundworms) with and without mutated daf-2 genes, which affects longevity. The mutated daf-2 gene leads to a doubling in lifespan. The research shows that several metabolic processes are repressed by the presence of the mutated gene. Interestingly, the life-extending effect seemed to be most strongly expressed in early and mid-life: Most strikingly, the scientists observed that during the early and mid-life adult stages of daf-2 mutants, genes associated with metabolic processes exhibited repressed expression. This 'hypo-metabolic' state, which involved major lipid, nucleic acid, protein, and energy pathways, became less pronounced with advanced age. "We speculate that the apparent metabolic repression in early and mid-life adults contributes substantially to the observed longevity of daf-2," says Dr. Julius Halaschek-Wiener, a researcher at the BC Cancer Agency's Genome Sciences Centre and first author on the study. They also found that stress response factors were more abundantly expressed in the aging worms than in younger ones, supporting the theory that protection against cellular stress is associated with increased longevity. Genetic make-up is one of the least tractable of our aging characteristics, but if we can better understand the genetic processes and their chemical expression, we might be able to affect some of those processes in a beneficial way. |
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