Inhibition of Common Enzyme Found to Prolong Lifespan
This, I must say is a big discovery and I think things are looking up for the immortality lovers.
Scientists at the Institute of Healthy Ageing at University College London, UK, have now found that blocking a common enzyme- the RNA Pol III- prolongs lifespan. Although everybody wants to live for longer and enjoy life, this discovery only increases one’s lifespan by 10%.
The whole belief system that works by ancient herbs offering a solution to short lifespan aside, in this discovery led by UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing, it was said that we don’t need to do much, we only need to limit the activities of one enzyme and that’s all.
Using the flies and worms as an experiment, they noticed a longer lifespan after reducing the activity of a single enzyme present in all animals including humans.
“We’ve uncovered a fundamental role for Pol III in adult flies and worms: its activity negatively impacts stem cell function, gut health and the animal’s survival. When we inhibit its activity, we can improve all these. As Pol III has the same structure and function across species, we think its role in mammals, and humans, warrants investigation as it may lead to important therapies,
” said first author, Danny Filer (UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing).Yeast, flies, and worms were selected for the study as they are not closely related, but all bear the enzyme. Various techniques, including insertional mutagenesis and RNA mediated interference, were used to inhibit Pol III and observe the results.
When it was inhibited in the gut of flies and worms, they lived longer. This was also the case when it was inhibited in only the flies’ intestinal stem cells.
The effects of inhibiting Pol III were found to be comparable to the action of the immune-suppressing drug rapamycin, which has previously been shown to extend the lifespans of mice and many other animals. This discovery will help scientists understand the mechanism of action of drugs, such as rapamycin, that show promise for extending the lifespans of mammals.
“Understandably, there’s a lot of hype around drugs that extend lifespan and promote healthy ageing but very little is known about how they work, which is fundamental knowledge,” explained study co-author Dr Nazif Alic (UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing).
“We now think that Pol III promotes growth and accelerates ageing in response to a signal inhibited by rapamycin, and that inhibiting Pol III is sufficient to result in flies living longer as if they were given rapamycin. If we can investigate this mechanism further and across a wider range of species, we can develop targeted antiaging therapies.”
“It is amazing that we can make one genetic adjustment and positively impact on lifespan and intestinal health, understanding more about the underlying molecules at work here promises new strategies for anti-ageing therapies,” said Dr Jennifer Tullet, University of Kent.
The team now plan on continuing their work on Pol III to understand its function in an adult organism, and hence shed light on how a reduction in its activity can extend lifespan.