Sirt4 – "longevity gene"
Researchers from Brown University (USA) have proved that the Sirt4 gene is an important factor restoring age-related metabolic decline and prolonging the healthy life of fruit flies. This gene has also been found in humans.
Sirt4 (green) in mitochondria (red). On the right is the result of overlapping images on top of each other (yellow). Source: Jason Wood.
The results show that the Sirt4 gene will also help in the treatment of disorders such as diabetes and obesity, thus prolonging a healthy life.
In the study, fruit flies activated the Sirt4 gene for more intensive synthesis of the corresponding protein. As a result, their life expectancy increased by 20%.
When the activity of the Sirt4 gene was suppressed in flies, their life expectancy decreased by 20%. With a decrease in the amount of protein encoded by the Sirt4 gene, flies became more sensitive to hunger and lost the ability to use the body's energy reserves. In the absence of food, the flies died of starvation, even when their body had sufficient reserves of nutrients.
Thus, the Sirt4 gene is responsible for survival in the absence of food, it switches metabolism from carbohydrate to fat, helping the body to use another kind of "fuel" to survive.
The Sirt4 protein belongs to the sirtuins, a group of proteins responsible for longevity, metabolism, including glucose, genome stability and neurodegenerative processes. Sirt4 was found in mitochondria, the cellular structures that produce energy.
The human cell contains seven different sirtuins, three of them mitochondrial – Sirt3, Sirt4 and Sirt5. There is only one mitochondrial sirtuin in fruit fly cells – this is Sirt4. Strengthening and suppressing the expression of the Sirt4 gene allowed researchers to find out its significance for fruit flies and to assume its role in the human body.
The results of the study are a "starting point" for studying the role of Sirt4. In previous studies, the effect of resveratrol on the life expectancy of the substance has been proven. The mechanism of its action is the activation of Sirt4. Now the task of the researchers is to find out the mechanism of action of Sirt4 itself.
Mammalian studies will be complicated by the presence of three mitochondrial sirtuins, as opposed to one in fruit flies. In the latter case, it was easier to prove the connection of certain effects with the activity of Sirt4.
Researchers believe that in-depth analysis of the Sirt4 gene will help fight diseases associated with metabolic disorders and, probably, prolong a healthy life.
Article by Jason G. Wood et al. Sirt4 is a mitochondrial regulator of metabolism and lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster published in the journal PNAS.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Brown University: Boosting Sirt4 gene activity extends healthy lifespan in fruit flies.