Gene coordination and longevity

[corybroo]

Breakdown of gene coordination during aging suggests a substantial challenge to longevity

Approximately 15 years ago Prof. Jan Vijg proposed … that the proper function of biological tissues may decline during aging because many cells lose their ability to tightly regulate their genes.

In a study published today in the journal Nature Metabolism, researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel report evidence that supports Vijg's theory for the first time.

they found reduced levels of coordination during aging among different organisms: human, mice and fruit flies, and among different cell types: brain cells, Hematopoietic stem cells, pancreatic cells and more.

Finding evidence for coordination of genes was amazing, but even more outstanding was finding that this property of coordination dramatically declines with age

The researchers also observed coordination reduction in tissues with an increased level of damage, suggesting a direct link between increased damage level and coordination breakdown. The findings support the theory that during aging, accumulated random damage affects regulation mechanisms and disrupts the ability of genes to coordinate (resulting in a general decrease in tissue function)

If the same level of coordination reduction between genes is indeed a leading cause for aging phenomena, there may be a need to change course in current efforts to develop aging treatments.