Is RNA polymerase III the key to prolonging life?
There is always a lot of hype around drugs that can increase life expectancy and ensure a healthy old age. But the mechanisms of their action have not yet been studied.
The enzyme RNA polymerase III (RNA polymerase III, Pol III) is present in almost all living cells, including human cells. It is known that it plays an important role in protein synthesis and cell activity. Its involvement in the aging process has not yet been studied.
A study by a group of scientists from University College London, the University of Kent (UK) and the University of Groningen (Netherlands) showed that the survival rate of yeast cells, as well as the life expectancy of elderly flies and worms increased by an average of 10% after a decrease in the activity of the enzyme Pol III in old age.
It was found that the enzyme Pol III in the body of old individuals plays an important role in the aging process: in worms and flies, its activity negatively affects the function of stem cells, the state of the intestine and the survival of the body. Inhibition of this enzyme was associated with an improvement in these indicators. Since Pol III has the same structure and functions in all living organisms, there is reason to believe that in mammals and, in particular, humans, it is similarly associated with aging processes. Research in human cell culture may provide grounds for the development of new methods for the treatment of age-related diseases.
The effects of inhibition of the Pol III enzyme were similar to those with the use of the drug rapamycin (rapamycin) from the group of immunosuppressors, which in studies on mice and other animals showed the ability to increase life expectancy. Comparing the results of both of these studies can give scientists answers to many questions related to the aging of mammals.
Researchers believe that the Pol III enzyme accelerates cell growth and aging in response to signals that rapamycin is able to suppress. That is, inhibition of Pol III can give the same effect as the introduction of rapamycin. Further in-depth study of this mechanism on a wider range of animals will help to develop more specific anti-aging drugs.
In the study, various methods were used to inhibit Pol III and evaluate subsequent changes, including insertion mutagenesis and RNA-mediated exposure. Yeast, flies and worms were chosen as model organisms, since they have little in common in structure, but all contain Pol III.
Inhibition of Pol III in the intestinal cells of flies and worms was sufficient to prolong life. Isolated suppression of Pol III in intestinal stem cells of flies also contributed to an increase in life expectancy.
The results of the study are valuable because exposure to only one enzyme was sufficient to increase life expectancy.
The authors of the study plan to continue their work on the Pol III enzyme in order to study in detail its effect on adult organisms and try to shed light on how exactly reducing its activity will help prolong life.
Article by Danny Filer et al. RNA polymerase III limits longevity downstream of TORC1 is published in the journal Nature.
Aminate Adzhieva, portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of University College London: Lifespan prolonged by inhibiting common enzyme.