A group of Taiwanese scientists said yesterday that they may have identified a gene that could hold the secret to human longevity.
The research was conducted by a 12-member team led by Tsai Ting-fen (蔡亭芬), an associate professor in the department of life sciences at National Yang-Ming University. Tsai is also head of the Mouse Genetics Laboratory in the school’s Institute of Genome Sciences.
Tsai and her associates told a press conference that while trying to identify a gene linked to liver cancer in mice, they accidentally discovered that an eight-week-old black mouse deprived of the Cisd2 gene showed signs of premature aging.
These included gray hair, loss of bone mass, loose skin, muscle atrophy, lower subcutaneous fat deposition and decreased body weight.
The mouse’s normal life span of two years was cut in half when the Cisd2 gene was disrupted, the researchers said.
Tsai said the research program presented “a new animal model of human Wolfram syndrome,” effectively linking the Cisd2 gene function, mitochondrial integrity and aging in mammals.
Wolfram syndrome is a rare, inherited neuro-degenerative disorder. It is primarily characterized by juvenile-onset diabetes, optic atrophy and premature death.
The Cisd2 gene is located on the long arm of human chromosome No. 4. A comparative genome analysis on centenarian siblings by US scientists about eight years ago showed that among the hundreds of genes in the region of Chromosome 4, there was a gene or genes whose subtle modification could give a person a better chance of living well beyond the average life expectancy.
Tsai said her team was doing further research on how to revitalize the Cisd2 gene by including antioxidants in the diet.
She declined to go into detail, but dropped a hint, saying: “It could never be wrong to include a lot of fruit and vegetables in your diet.”
The results of their study were published in yesterday’s issue of the bimonthly New York-based journal Genes & Development.
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