Aging Protein
The key mechanism of aging is found
Scientists from the Cancer Research Center in Germany have identified a protein that plays a key role in the aging process, determining the lifespan of the body. The researchers' article was published in the FEBS Journal (Oberacker et al., Enhanced expression of thioredoxin interacting protein regulates oxidative DNA damage and aging), briefly about the scientific work is described in the press release Key molecule of aging discovered.
It is known that the aging of cells and tissues is caused by oxidative stress, when the number of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage DNA, proteins and lipids increases during the work of mitochondria in the cytoplasm. The cell in such conditions quickly loses the ability to perform its functions and eventually dies. According to the free radical theory of aging, proposed in 1950, this process is the main cause of aging of the body.
However, ROS also play a signaling role, activating immune cells T-lymphocytes, and contribute to the destruction of damaged cells, so their deficiency can lead to diseases such as cancer. Scientists have shown that the redox balance, expressed in the optimal level of ROS and antioxidants, is provided by a compound called thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP).
Thioredoxin-1 (TRX-1) neutralizes excess ROS, thereby protecting DNA from damage and slowing down the aging process. TXNIP inhibits thioredoxin, provoking the accumulation of free radicals.
Scientists compared T-lymphocytes in the blood of 55-year-old and 20-25-year-old volunteers and found that the cells of older people produce more TXNIP. This was also characteristic of Drosophila fruit fly cells. Then the researchers brought out insects in whose body thioredoxin-interacting proteins are synthesized in larger or smaller quantities than normal. Those flies that had a lot of TXNIP lived much less on average, and insects with a small amount of protein lived longer.
According to scientists, it is enough to find a way to disable TXNIP to significantly increase people's life expectancy.
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