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RETURN TO THE WORLD SCIENCE HOME PAGE Scientists zeroing in on possible “anti-aging” gene
Oct.
25,
2004
Tests
to
determine
whether
this
is
true
in
humans
haven’t
yet
been
done.
The
new
findings,
announced
today,
were
made
using
humble
fruit
flies
as
test
animals.
But
the
researchers
are
increasingly
hopeful
that
the
findings
might
hold
true
across
the
animal
kingdom,
including
humans.
This
is
because
scientists
had
previously
shown
that
the
putative
anti-aging
gene
–
called
Sir2
–
works
similarly
in
a
wide
range
of
creatures
of
increasing
complexity.
The
new
research
represents
the
first
time
such
findings
have
been
made
in
animals.
And
because
fruit
flies
share
nearly
60
percent
of
their
genes
with
humans,
it
enhances
the
chances
that
a
similar
mechanism
may
operate
in
humans,
researchers
suggested.
“Agents
that
stimulate
the
activity
of
Sir2
are
potential
tools
for
extending
life
span”
in
all
multicellular
creatures,
the
researchers
wrote
in
this
week’s
online
editions
of
the
Proceedings
of
the
National
Academy
of
Sciences,
the
research
journal
where
they
presented
their
findings.
The
researchers,
Blanka
Rogina
and
Stephen
L.
Helfand
of
the
University
of
Connecticut
Health
Center,
created
a
mutant
flies
whose
version
of
the
Sir2
gene
was
much
more
active
than
it
is
in
normal
flies.
Genes
produce
proteins,
molecules
which
have
some
function
or
the
other
in
the
body.
Thus,
a
“more
active”
gene
is
one
that
produces
more
of
the
protein
that
it
is
resonsible
for. The flies with overactive Sir2 lived up to 57 percent longer than normal flies, the researchers reported. Resveratrol,
the
chemical
found
in
the
skin
of
grapes
and
in
red
wine,
has
been
found
to
boost
Sir2
activity
in
organisms
as
diverse
as
humans,
fruit
flies
and
yeast,
they
wrote.
The
substance
has
also
been
linked
to
a
reduced
risk
of
heart
disease
and
prostate
cancer. The discoveries of Sir2's role in aging are rooted in observations made decades ago: that, oddly, the one reliable way to increase lifespan in many organisms is to keep them on a near-starvation diet. Since
then,
researchers
have
been
looking
for
ways
to
get
the
gain
without
the
pain.
—EJL * * * Send
us
a
comment
on
this
story
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