Prolongation of life and reactive oxygen species: is every poison a medicine?
Reactive oxygen species can prolong lifeKirill Stasevich, Compulenta
Oxygen radicals, which everyone used to think that they harm DNA and accelerate cell aging, can have the opposite effect, suppressing the work of some important cellular proteins.
"Reactive oxygen species are malicious substances that cause oxidative stress, damage DNA and cause premature cell death and aging" – this point of view has dominated the scientific community for quite a long time, but now its position has been greatly shaken.
Reactive oxygen species are indeed capable of sowing fatal destruction inside the cell due to their exceptional reactivity. But, as it often happens, they also have a "bright side": the use of these molecules in some signaling pathways of the cell can lead to an increase in life expectancy.
In an article published in the journal Cell Metabolism (Pan et al., Regulation of Yeast Chronological Life Span by TORC1 via Adaptive Mitochondrial ROS Signaling), a group of researchers from Yale University (USA) talk about how dangerous oxygen radicals prolong the life of yeast.
In the cells of eukaryotic organisms, from fungi to mammals, there is a universal signaling pathway associated with the protein kinase mTOR. This enzyme participates in the regulation of cellular reproduction; if there are a lot of nutrients around, mTOR "spurs" the protein-synthesizing machine of the cell. It has long been known that the suppression of the mTOR complex prolongs the life of the cell. It turned out that the very reactive oxygen species that are produced in abundance by mitochondria have such an overwhelming effect on this enzyme. Yeast cells that artificially stimulated the work of an enzyme that destroys oxygen radicals lived less. At the same time, the researchers note that mTOR should be "targeted" by reactive oxygen species so that cells live longer, since these molecules are still quite dangerous compounds.
This is not the only work devoted to the beneficial qualities of reactive oxygen species; scientists are already aware of their beneficial effects on the immune system and their potential applicability in oncological diseases. The signaling pathway in which the mTOR protein participates exists in a variety of organisms: there is evidence that inhibition of this enzyme prolongs the life of not only unicellular yeast, but even mice. Perhaps a simple and effective "oxygen" tool will soon appear in our hands, allowing us to extend the life of our own cells.
Prepared based on materials from Yale University: Once Blamed for Aging, ROS Molecules May Actually Extend LifePortal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru