Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute have discovered a gene that when manipulated in a small worm can slow down the aging process. While doing that, it may block certain types of cancer.
The microscopic worms, thousands of them, are found in soil everywhere. C. elegans, as they're called, are tiny roundworms. A gene involved in their aging process is very similar to the gene in our own bodies that does the same thing.
Oncology researcher Dr. Susan Mango and her colleagues say by modifying C. elegans' gene, you modify longevity. And that involves not just the worm's lifespan but also its rate of aging.
"What people have found which is really remarkable, is there are certain changes you can make where the worm will live twice the normal lifespan. So you can imagine for a human that would be 180 years or something," she said.
This gene is sort of in partnership with another gene. Between the two, they play roles not only in aging but in blocking certain kinds of cancer. The modification may be needed in only one gene.
"If you reduce it, it will prolong lifespan, just that one gene. And that gene is also definitely implicated in pathways involved in cancer," Dr. Mango said.
But it's not over yet! In both cases, there's also a link to metabolism and nutrition. Experiments by other researchers already show that if you reduce the calorie intake in animals, they live longer.
"If you reduce how much food they eat so that they're not malnourished but maybe 30 percent fewer calories, they live longer and they age more slowly," Mango said.
It appears lots of food activates the gene, which triggers another action in the second gene, which shortens lifespan. Less food and fewer calories deactivate the gene, which triggers a reverse action that lengthens lifespan. And slower aging reduces the risk of cancer.
Both genes sense the availability of food, and both, in their interactions, play a role in the rate of aging.
E-mail: eyeates@ksl.com
