Protein of centenarians
Researchers from the Gerontology School named after Leonard Davis of the University of Southern California studied the humanin protein encoded by the mitochondria's own genome. Experiments on laboratory animals and studies on humans have shown that higher levels of humanin in the body are associated with an increase in life expectancy and improved health. This is due to a lower risk of age-related diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and MELAS syndrome.
The researchers studied humanin in several animal species, including worms and mice, as well as in humans, including Alzheimer's patients and children of centenarians. The results highlight the potential of humanin and other mitochondrial proteins for the treatment of age-related diseases. They also indicate that humanin is part of an ancient mitochondrial signaling pathway that regulates the health and lifespan of the body.
The group observed higher levels of humanin in organisms predisposed to a long life, including the famous aging-resistant naked digger, which has a very slow decrease in humanin levels in the body over a 30-year life.
Unlike the naked digger, in mice, the level of humanin decreases by 40% during 18 months of life, in rhesus monkeys there is a sharp decrease at the age of 19 to 25 years.
In humans, the researchers observed the phenomenon of higher and more stable levels of humanin in 18 people whose parents were centenarians, compared with a control group of 19 volunteers. Persons whose parents reach the age of 100 are statistically more likely than other people to live to a very old age.
In some species, including worms and mice, the researchers modified genes to produce more humanin, which was enough to significantly increase life expectancy. But such long-lived animals had fewer offspring. A similar pattern was observed in humans.
The compromise between longevity and reproduction is believed to be due to an evolutionarily preserved balance between using energy to produce offspring or maintaining the body for future reproductive efforts. From the point of view of evolution, the purpose of life is to reproduce offspring, but if an organism cannot reproduce, it must have time to try; the side effect is longevity.
A higher level of humanin is associated with an increase in life expectancy, and a lower level may increase the risk of diseases and reduce resistance to toxic effects.
The researchers analyzed samples of cerebrospinal fluid from healthy people and patients with Alzheimer's disease and noticed that the latter had much lower levels of humanin. In the umbilical cord blood samples of newborns, the level of humanin correlated with the number of copies of mitochondrial DNA. It is known that a small amount of mitochondrial DNA is associated with a number of different kidney diseases, oncological and cardiovascular diseases.
Thus, this major new study highlighted the importance of humanin as a potentially powerful regulator of life expectancy and health and showed that it could be used for the treatment of various age-related diseases. In addition, it proved the importance of mitochondria not only as cellular power plants, but as a source of protein with proven neuro- and cytoprotective properties.
Article K.Yen et al. The mitochondrial derived peptide humanin is a regulator of lifespan and healthspan published in the journal Aging.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Southern California: USC study: protein in mitochondria appears to regulate health and longevity.