Discovery May Aid Search for Anti-Aging Drugs: Gene's Action May Help Explain Why Restricting Diet Lengthens Life in Animals

A team of University of Michigan scientists has found that suppressing a newly discovered gene lengthens the lifespan of roundworms. Scientists who study aging have long known that significantly restricting food intake makes animals live longer. But the goal is to find less drastic ways to achieve the same effect in humans someday.

The U-M results offer promising early evidence that scientists may succeed at finding targets for drugs that someday could allow people to live longer, healthier lives.

In a study in the August issue of Aging Cell, U-M scientists found that a gene, drr-2, is an important component in a key cellular pathway, the TOR nutrient-sensing pathway, where many scientists are looking for potential drug targets. The U-M scientists then found that when they caused the drr-2 gene to be under- or over-expressed, they could lengthen or shorten lifespan in C. elegans, a worm widely used in research. Manipulating the drr-2 gene's action produced the same effects as reducing or increasing caloric intake.

By ANN ARBOR

Original paper:

Tsui-Ting Ching, Alisha B. Paal, Avni Mehta, Linda Zhong and Ao-Lin Hsu. drr-2 encodes an eIF4H that acts downstream of TOR in diet-restriction-induced longevity of C. elegans. Aging Cell, 2010;

Source:

http://www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/media/newsroom/details.cfm?ID=1689