Antagonistic pleiotropy for life extension

Scientists have figured out how to beat aging

Alexander Khramov, Infox

Scientists have identified genes that, by disabling them in adulthood, can significantly increase the lifespan of roundworms, Infox reports. The discovery confirms the evolutionary theory of aging, and at the same time suggests a recipe for human longevity.

This is stated in an article by German scientists from the Institute of Molecular Biology, published in the journal Genes & Development.

Scientists have long been tormented by the question – why did not organisms capable of living indefinitely arise in the course of evolution? It would seem that natural selection should contribute to an increase in life expectancy – the longer an organism lives, the more advantageous it is in a situation, so that the longevity genes should gradually spread throughout the population.

The theory of antagonistic pleiotropy, developed by the American biologist George Williams in the 1950s, helped explain this paradox. Williams suggested that genes that give an advantage in youth are responsible for aging. At first, these genes increase the fitness of the organism and give it the opportunity to leave more offspring, but for this it pays with diseases and death in the second half of life.

Until now, Williams' theory has not been tested experimentally. The authors of the article decided to fill this gap by working with C.elegans roundworms, a classic model object used in works on physiology. The scientists focused on 800 genes related to the regulation of chromatin and protein synthesis.

Scientists have shown that turning off these genes in the early stages negatively affects the development of worms, as suggested by Williams' theory. However, among the studied genes there were about 30, the shutdown of which after the end of reproductive activity dramatically increases the life expectancy of the worm. A worm that has these genes inactivated in adulthood, as it were, avoids "paying bills".

So, when researchers turned off the bec-1 gene in its neurons on the 9th day of the worm's life, it stopped the processes of autophagy (cellular self-digestion) of nervous tissue. "In young worms, autophagy, working properly, is important for maturation, but after the end of reproduction, it begins to malfunction, leading to aging. This is antagonistic pleiotropy in its purest form," says Holger Richley, co-author of the article.

The lifespan of worms whose genes responsible for autophagy were inactivated on day 9 increased to 50%. It was enough to turn off these genes only in nerve cells to improve the overall health of worms, including the level of mobility and muscle function.

"Imagine that you have lived half of your life and drunk a medicine that makes you as healthy and mobile as those who are twice your age, and thereby prolongs your life. This is exactly what happened with worms," says Thomas Wilhelm, one of the researchers. Scientists hope that in the future a similar technology will allow to rejuvenate people, defeating Alzheimer's disease and other disorders of the nervous system.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  18.09.2017