25 "longevity genes"

Genes responsible for increasing human life expectancy have been discovered

Ksenia Murasheva, Naked Science

Aging is, in essence, the "wear" of the body, which leads to increased susceptibility of organs and tissues to diseases and eventually to death. Many genes are involved in this process. The life expectancy of different species varies greatly. For example, flies live an average of four weeks, horses – thirty years, and some species of hedgehogs in general can live about two centuries. Scientists have not yet answered the question of why the run-up is so wide.

Theoretically, a person can live up to 120 years, but other primates closest to our species are less fortunate: their life expectancy is twice as short. In an attempt to find the causes of these differences, an international team of researchers from universities in Spain and the UK has identified some genes important for life expectancy in primates, including humans. This study was published by the journal Molecular Biology & Evolution, placing it on the cover of the issue.

The researchers studied the genome of various primate species, including humans. For scientists, primates are of great interest, since representatives of this order, very close to each other, have a genetically large difference in life expectancy. For example, humans and macaques diverged from a common ancestor only 30 million years ago, which is a very short period by evolutionary standards, but the duration of their lives began to differ three times.

The red color shows 17 primate species, including humans, whose genetic data were obtained from online databases (AnAge and Animal Diversity Web). The 8 new species added in this study are shown in orange. The outer green bars graphically represent the lifespan of each species. / ©Molecular Biology & Evolution

Scientists compared human genes with the genes of other species to determine which mutations appeared in those whose life expectancy is longer. As a result, the researchers were able to identify 25 mutations in the genes responsible for tissue regeneration, blood clotting and a large number of cardiovascular diseases.

"These results are of great importance, since the flexible and adaptive mechanism of blood clotting, active tissue regeneration and resistance to diseases of the cardiovascular system are common properties found in primates with a long lifespan," explains Gerard Muntané, lead author of the study.

The genes found are most likely pleiotropic, that is, they have multiple effects. This fits into the theory of antagonistic pleiotropy, according to which pleiotropic genes have a different effect on the survival of organisms in different periods of life. At an early age, their action is useful, but after the extinction of reproductive function, it can harm the body.

The authors of the study believe that the results of the work can help in the development of effective therapy for diseases associated with age-related changes.

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