Research group “Activation of a specific response to stress, slowing down cellular aging and promoting longevity”
As we age, it has been found that activating specific stress responses in cells can significantly slow the rate of aging and promote longevity.
This is the result of a laboratory study conducted by Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on nematodes, a parasite that shares similarities with humans. The research team analyzed the old nematodes after giving them a high-dose diet and a normal diet, respectively. As a result, nematodes fed a normal diet survived for 20 days, while those fed a glucose-rich diet survived for 24 days. Roundworms fed a glucose-rich diet were also more agile and had many more energy storage cells.
The adult nematode (C. elegans) used in the experiment is anatomically much simpler than humans, but like humans, it controls cell division and schedules the death of defective cells. Guillaume Tybalt, associate professor of cell biology at NTU, who leads the research, said: “If we understand and use cellular pathways related to aging correctly, we will be able to develop treatments for cancer, dementia and stroke.” More research is needed to do that, he added.
This is the first time that researchers have found a link between the stress response and aging. Researchers did not recommend that older people eat a lot of glucose-rich foods. The focus of this study is elsewhere. Inducing a specific stress response in cells can lead to longevity, and activating this stress response with certain drugs can slow down cellular aging.
Professor Rong Li (Director of the Institute of Mechanical Biology) at the National University of Singapore, who was not involved in the study, said: ‘As we have identified a cellular pathway called’ explained protein response (UPR) ‘that affects the lifespan of nematodes fed a glucose-rich diet. “The impact of this study is enormous,” he said.
When a “unfolded protein” builds up in a cell due to a stressor, the cell triggers a specific stress response called an “unfolded protein response” (UPR). This reaction removes the unfolded protein and serves to restore the cell’s balance. Researchers recently found that inhibition of this cellular pathway significantly extends the lifespan of roundworms. Targeting this cellular pathway could increase lifespan in people with metabolic disorders.
The results of this study (Protein Response Explained Reverses Effects of Glucose on Lifespan in Chemically Sterilized C. elegans) were published in Nature Communications and introduced by Eurekalert, a portal run by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
