Universal "aging genes"
According to the results obtained by Brown University researchers working under the guidance of Associate Professor Ashley Webb, representatives of different species, namely C.elegans roundworms, fruit flies, drosophila, mice and humans, have both species-specific and a number of common mechanisms of aging and mortality.
Earlier studies have demonstrated, or at least indicated, that manipulations of FOXO genes and their mutations can increase or decrease the lifespan of different organisms, even though the evolutionary paths of some of them diverged approximately 500 million years ago.
In the course of many studies, various groups of scientists have identified thousands of targets of FOXO family proteins in different model organisms, known for their role in the aging process and longevity. However, the question remained open as to which of these targets are critical FOXO effectors in the aging process and maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Testing each target individually would take many years, so the authors set themselves the task of identifying the targets that have survived in the course of evolution and, presumably, are the most important.
In experiments on C.elegans roundworms, fruit flies, fruit flies, mice and human cells, they identified 46 common genes regulated by the same family of FOXO proteins. These genes, which obviously retained their importance during evolution, are involved in maintaining metabolism, repairing DNA damage and other mechanisms important for the aging process. At the same time, some of them were not previously known as targets of the FOXO gene.
The data obtained will help researchers in developing hypotheses about the role of FOXO in human aging. Webb explains that based on the results obtained earlier in experiments on mice, the authors concluded that FOXO proteins have tissue-specific targets in the human body and, accordingly, modulating their activity will manifest very different effects in different tissues of the body. These features should be taken into account when developing aging-slowing interventions.
Article by Ashley E. Webb et al. Characterization of the direct targets of FOXO transcription factors through evolution is published in the journal Aging Cell
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to Brown University: Researchers found 46 genes shared by worms, flies, mice and humans that are all targets of FOXO proteins, which are important operators in the molecular mechanics of aging and longevity.
14.04.2016