It is incredible to see how different species respond to aging and how they can manipulate their own life span. For instance, old flies have the possibility to turn into young moms again. They can rejuvenate themselves.
According to a report published by the University of Southern California, female flies can turn their biological clock backward. This means that they can extend their lifespan.
The study made some ground-breakthrough findings in reviving the relation between reproduction and longevity. According to senior author of the study John Tower, associated professor of biological science at University of southern California College, challenges the notion that longevity decreased as one reproduce more. The conception can be right to some degree but exceptions to this rule seem to prevail.
The study on flies gave a clear cut example. This was found while Tower and a graduate student Yishi Li went through 8,000 genes in the hunt for genes that would enable older flies that lay more eggs. They were finally able to find two genes.
It was found that if ever older female flies changed to have an excess of either of the two genes that was found, their life span increased. They lived up to 5 years longer (30 percent) and even able to have more offsprings.
Tower suggested that these genes that promoted stem cells in flies’ reproductive system alters the aging of the fly. It is known that stem cell activities decrease as one age. Therefore, reproduction in older flies is impossible as stem cells are active.
According to Tower, stimulating stem cell activity in the fly would speed up the cell division process and therefore make it possible for old fly to have more offsprings.
The subsequent step in the research will be to verify whether stem cell activities would return other parts of the fly’s body into a younger state. If ever an over-expression of these two genes would rejuvenate other parts of the fly then it would theoretically act as a fountain of youth not only for the reproductive system but for the entire organism.
The application of the research on other mammals is still uncertain. However, Tower, highlighted that one of the particular genes was similar to a human gene that promotes cells to grow as well as to form blood vessels.
The more we reproduce, the shorter will our life span be, is certainly not a golden rule after all. The research suggests that female that can continue to lay eggs at a later age will also live longer. There is thus not necessarily any trade-off between lifespan and reproduction.
Source: Eurekalert
Sat, Jun 5, 2010
Anti Aging, Bioscience, Stem cells