Biochemical clues to long lifespan revealed

February 20, 2004 | Source: KurzweilAI

Researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have found that longer life results, at least in part, from biochemical interactions that boost cells’ ability to resist environmental stresses while inhibiting them from committing suicide.

The team found that the Sir2 gene regulates a group of proteins known as FOXO transcription factors. These proteins have been linked with longevity; they control the expression of genes that regulate cell suicide, and also enable the cell to resist oxidative stress, or chemical stresses that can disrupt the cell’s DNA, or genetic blueprint.

The team also found that the interaction between Sir2 and FOXO reduced the death of nerve cells, suggesting a possible strategy for reversing age-related nerve-cell degeneration, such as occurs in Alzheimer’s disease. The Sir2-FOXO interaction may also inhibit tumor formation, since DNA damage in cells can make them cancerous.

Children’s Hospital Boston press release