The search for "longevity genes" continues
In search of the Immortality gene
Antonida Pashinina, Rosbalt
Oleg Glotov, a leading researcher at the Department of Genetics and Breeding of St. Petersburg State University, told Rosbaltu about the genes of longevity, the influence of medicine on the gene pool of mankind and how diseases will be treated in the future.
– Periodically, the media reports that "longevity genes" have been discovered. If they have been identified, then we are close to eternal life?
– The search for biological clock genes is ongoing. At one of the last scientific conferences held in Sochi, scientists named those responsible for the metabolism of insulin and carbohydrates as the key genes that affect human longevity. But if researchers manage to prove this on model objects, then it is still more difficult with a person. Most often, the opening does not work.
- why?
– The problem is that there are individual population characteristics associated with longevity in each particular family. Imagine that we are studying two families. For convenience, let them live in different countries – one in Japan, the other in Italy. The Japanese we observe have a certain gene mutation, thanks to which their family lives up to 100 years. Italians also have a mutation, but of a different kind. I gave an example from different countries, in fact, two people of the same race from the same country may have different mutations responsible for longevity. Since everything is so individual, it is not possible to identify the desired gene.
– Nevertheless, scientists do not lose hope?
– Yes, scientific publications devoted to the discovery of such genes appear periodically. But experts believe that these are only fragments of the search.
– Have researchers been successful in finding genes that are responsible for the development of age-related diseases?
– We have an idea about these genes. We are talking about those that are responsible for a person's predisposition to Alzheimer's disease, cardiological, oncological diseases, as well as those related to metabolism – obesity, diabetes mellitus. There is even a separate strategy – the fight against "bad genes".
– If a person has such genes, does it mean that he lives in constant danger that the disease will develop?
– On the one hand, it seems to be, but there are pitfalls here. Up to the age of 75, "negative" genes can provoke diseases and even lead to death. But when a person passes this age limit, they, on the contrary, have a positive effect on his body. For example, if a person has experienced the risk of heart disease before the age of 75, it means that the probability that he will suffer from heart disease in subsequent years is reduced.
– Despite the fact that diseases may not manifest, is it still better for people to know their "genetic passport"?
– Yes, and now there are many organizations in Russia – not always qualified – offering such studies. It is important here that they take place in an experimental laboratory with the participation of a geneticist and a family doctor (the latter are not in our country yet). Doctors will help to form an algorithm for examining patients and take timely measures – prescribe some tests, send them to hospital as planned, etc.
– Does the region of a person's residence (respectively, and the peculiarities of national cuisine, traditions, etc.) affect life expectancy?
- of course. Longevity is 50-70% determined by environmental factors. Take, for example, Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the capital, there is more calcium in the water, in St. Petersburg – less. Therefore, the incidence of osteoporosis in the city on the Neva is higher. The same is true with nutrition – people who follow a Mediterranean diet do not suffer from cardiac problems. And the inhabitants of the North do not have enough useful elements, and they have to compensate for the deficiencies of vitamins. Of course, all this affects the quality and duration of life.
– How has the development of medicine affected the human gene pool?
– Thanks to modern medicine, the human gene pool has expanded. Previously, people who suffered from certain diseases died. Now they are surviving. On the one hand, their health is worse. On the other hand, they increase biological diversity. Take schizophrenia, for example. It, like other "borderline" states, can lead to genius. In terms of changing the capabilities of the brain, the fact that people with schizophrenia can live and work normally is a big plus.
– Has the life expectancy of people changed over the past 100 years?
– The average duration is much higher than 20-30, and even more than 100 years ago. But the maximum practically did not change. It, like two thousand years ago, is 120 years old. However, it is impossible to fix the age reliably. In some countries, they find centenarians who are 150 years old. But it is not possible to find documents that would confirm their age.
– Are men or women more likely to become centenarians?
– Studies have shown that women live up to 100 years more often, but among those who are over 100 years old, there are more men. Why is unknown. But there is something in it.
– Many centenarians smoke and drink, although harmful habits should shorten the years of life…
– Scientists have studied the lifestyle of 100-year-olds. Indeed, many of them drink and smoke. Apparently, centenarians have rare individual protective mutations. Smoking and alcohol do not have such a negative effect on the body. It is much more important that the mechanisms for spending and accommodating energy are observed. In other words, it is important how adequately a person's metabolism works. This is an innate property.
– What, in your opinion, should gene therapy focus on?
– First of all, for individual studies, since each person has his own genotype. The goal is not to prolong life, but to improve its quality and working age. Let it be better for a person to live 90 years well than 120 years poorly.
The future lies in the creation of human DNA banks. It looks like this: we determine the genotypes of people and track what has changed after 50 years, and if a person is a centenarian, then after 100. There have been leading DNA banks all over the world for 10-15 years. There are none in Russia yet. We are just creating such a pilot project on the basis of St. Petersburg State University…
– Is it possible that in the future doctors will make changes to the genome of patients in order to save people from age-related diseases or prolong their lives?
– A lot of work is being done on this now. There are different ways – grafting modified cells to humans, delivering genes directly, correcting RNA or proteins. But only a small number of methods are undergoing clinical trials. It's expensive, plus viral DNA delivery is very effective in gene therapy. But it can lead to oncological diseases in the future. The risks are not fully understood. A few years ago, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for RNA interference - molecules blocked "bad" RNA. That is, the gene was not cut out, but its function was leveled. But we don't really understand what will happen to other genes if we suppress the function of one of them.
Even 10 years ago, scientists thought that gene therapy would treat all diseases. But these predictions were premature. It takes at least another 10 years to study all the risks.
– Cryopreservation is gaining popularity, or simply freezing a person's body or only his brain after death. People hope that in the future they can be "revived". Does this make any sense?
– This makes distant sense, because scientists have already learned how to revive stem cells. Organs and organ systems cannot be revived after defrosting yet, but they will learn over time. The technology itself is important here – to freeze the body quickly so that ice crystals do not form, which can tear the cell membrane. And just as quickly defrost – so as not to destroy the cells. Defrosting and reviving cells are two tasks that are independent of each other. But there is hope that scientists will solve them.
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17.11.2014