Every time a cell divides, some telomere repeats get cut off therefore shortening its lifespan. This in turn causes aging which researchers are constantly finding ways to expand one’s lifespan. One particular way this is being done is through gene therapy which essentially uses telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). TERT activates telomerase, which is the known enzyme to lengthen the telomere DNA. Because telomerase supports cell growth and division by reducing the cutting of telomeres in mitotic cells this will slow down the aging process. This ongoing research has led companies to claim, for only a small price of 1 million dollars, that they will provide gene therapy to reduce aging. As mentioned in the MIT Technology review, “Libella Gene Therapeutics, based in Manhattan, Kansas, claims it is now offering a gene therapy to repair telomeres at a clinic in Colombia for $1 million a dose. The company announced on November 21 that it was recruiting patients into what it termed a “pay-to-play clinical trial.””. Currently new information on humans being the test subjects has not been revealed even though there are multiple companies offering this service but are not FDA approved. In a recent study on mice it was found that the mouse TERT or FST extended the mouse's lifespan by 41.4% and 32.5%. It was reported in the PNAS article that CMV (a potential vector candidate for gene transfer) is being used successfully as both an intranasal and injectable gene therapy system to extend longevity. The treatment significantly improved glucose tolerance, physical performance, as well as preventing body mass loss and alopecia. Testing on gene therapy is still being done and it is not 100% assured it will not cause harm to human health, so millionaires should proceed with caution.
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
A Protein for Longevity Does Not Necessarily Guarantee Health
Longevity-promoting genes usually help organisms deal with stress- but a gene that lengthens nematode worm’s lives and is necessary for reproduction also makes the worm more susceptible to infection and stress.
Arjumand Ghazi, a geneticist who studies aging at the University of Pittsburgh, published her laboratories work regarding the TCER-1 protein in the Nature Communications in 2017. Ghazi and her colleagues had previously found that a gene called TCER-1 increases life span and is needed for Caenorhabditis elegans worms to produce eggs and healthy offspring. Ghazi and her colleagues expected that removing the gene would leave the worms prone to infections- but after deleting the gene the worms fought off bacterial infection for nearly twice as long as worms with an intact gene. This was so unusual and unexpected for the Ghazi laboratory, Francis Amrit, a molecular biologist in Ghahzi's lab said “when I first saw that, I thought I’d made a mistake.”
Additionally, Ghazi’s team found that worms with more of the TCER-1 protein than usual were able to overcome declines in fertility caused by exposure to a pathogen, but succumbed to infection faster. Which meant the results were indicating that the normally functioning gene helps suppress immune responses so more resources can be used for reproduction. Worms missing the TCEr-1 protein were also resistant to other types of environmental stress such as heat and radiation. These advantages however only continued as long as worms were of egg-laying age, as older Caenorhabditis elegans worms were equally susceptible to infection or stress regardless if they had the gene.
Organisms balance survival and reproduction all the time, which can be seen when an animal under stress tends to stop reproducing until conditions improve. The TCER-1 protein works with other proteins to achieve the same type of survival-reproduction balance. The details of how the TCER-1 protein senses stress and regulated fertility, longevity and stress response are still unknown however.
While humans have a version of this gene, related research is unlikely to affect human health anytime soon- however such findings could be warning bells for researchers developing anti aging therapies. As there seems to always be some sort of desire to get closer and closer to immortality, I find it interesting to see how genetic studies on aging evolve during my lifetime. Overall, this article was a good and interesting read- it is truly thought-provoking to wonder how this field of genetics will grow.
Sources:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10759-z
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gene-may-help-worms-live-longer-not-healthier