Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Earth Science News .




ABOUT US
Turning Off the "Aging Genes"
by Staff Writers
Tel Aviv, Israel (SPX) Jan 07, 2014


File image.

Computer algorithm developed by TAU researchers identifies genes that could be transformed to stop the aging process. Restricting calorie consumption is one of the few proven ways to combat aging. Though the underlying mechanism is unknown, calorie restriction has been shown to prolong lifespan in yeast, worms, flies, monkeys, and, in some studies, humans.

Now Keren Yizhak, a doctoral student in Prof. Eytan Ruppin's laboratory at Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik School of Computer Science, and her colleagues have developed a computer algorithm that predicts which genes can be "turned off" to create the same anti-aging effect as calorie restriction. The findings, reported in Nature Communications, could lead to the development of new drugs to treat aging. Researchers from Bar-Ilan University collaborated on the research.

"Most algorithms try to find drug targets that kill cells to treat cancer or bacterial infections," says Yizhak. "Our algorithm is the first in our field to look for drug targets not to kill cells, but to transform them from a diseased state into a healthy one."

A digital laboratory
Prof. Ruppin's lab is a leader in the growing field of genome-scale metabolic modeling or GSMMs. Using mathematical equations and computers, GSMMs describe the metabolism, or life-sustaining, processes of living cells. Once built, the individual models serve as digital laboratories, allowing formerly labor-intensive tests to be conducted with the click of a mouse.

Yizhak's algorithm, which she calls a "metabolic transformation algorithm," or MTA, can take information about any two metabolic states and predict the environmental or genetic changes required to go from one state to the other.

"Gene expression" is the measurement of the expression level of individual genes in a cell, and genes can be "turned off" in various ways to prevent them from being expressed in the cell. In the study, Yizhak applied MTA to the genetics of aging.

After using her custom-designed MTA to confirm previous laboratory findings, she used it to predict genes that can be turned off to make the gene expression of old yeast look like that of young yeast. Yeast is the most widely used genetic model because much of its DNA is preserved in humans.

Some of the genes that the MTA identified were already known to extend the lifespan of yeast when turned off. Of the other genes she found, Yizhak sent seven to be tested at a Bar-Ilan University laboratory. Researchers there found that turning off two of the genes, GRE3 and ADH2, in actual, non-digital yeast significantly extends the yeast's lifespan.

"You would expect about three percent of yeast's genes to be lifespan-extending," said Yizhak. "So achieving a 10-fold increase over this expected frequency, as we did, is very encouraging."

Hope for humans
Since MTA provides a systemic view of cell metabolism, it can also shed light on how the genes it identifies contribute to changes in genetic expression. In the case of GRE3 and ADH2, MTA showed that turning off the genes increased oxidative stress levels in yeast, thus possibly inducing a mild stress similar to that produced by calorie restriction.

As a final test, Yizhak applied MTA to human metabolic information. MTA was able to identify a set of genes that can transform 40-to-70 percent of the differences between the old and young information from four different studies. While currently there is no way to verify the results in humans, many of these genes are known to extend lifespan in yeast, worms, and mice.

Next, Yizhak will study whether turning off the genes predicted by MTA prolongs the lifespan of genetically engineered mice.

One day, drugs could be developed to target genes in humans, potentially allowing us to live longer. MTA could also be applied to finding drug targets for disorders where metabolism plays a role, including obesity, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer.

.


Related Links
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








ABOUT US
Money Talks When Ancient Antioch Meets Google Earth
Cincinnati OH (SPX) Jan 03, 2014
There's a map of an ancient Syrian trade route that shows how one city's political sway extended farther than once thought. This map isn't a time-worn and mysterious etching on a stone tablet. Turns out it's easily found on a different type of tablet - the kind with apps. With the swipe of a finger, the University of Cincinnati's Kristina Neumann can zoom along the boundaries of ancient An ... read more


ABOUT US
Four arrested over Italy quake contract bribes

Philippine inflation jumps following Haiyan

System of phone alerts could warn of extreme weather in India

'Village of Widows' determined to rebuild in India flood disaster

ABOUT US
3D printing poised to shake up shopping

ISRO raises GSAT-14's orbit

RAMBO a small but powerful magnet

Computers search for 'cheapium' versions of expensive materials

ABOUT US
Scientists off to Pacific to study 'weather chimney' effect on climate

Norway says working to end Russian boycott on fish exports

Melanin in marine fossils offers clues about where they could survive

For sharks, old age may be 70 or more: study

ABOUT US
El Nino tied to melting of Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier

Chinese icebreaker shines spotlight on polar ambitions

Ice rescue sparks Antarctic tourism debate

Antarctic mission over as ships clear ice field

ABOUT US
Over 350 sick in Japan after eating pesticide-tainted food: NHK

New study may aid rearing of stink bugs for biological control

Important mutation discovered in dairy cattle

Chinese scientists create high-yield, salt-resistant rice variety

ABOUT US
Texas to hire seismologist to study if quakes, energy production tied

Longmanshen fault zone still hazardous

Ground-breaking work sheds new light on volcanic activity

Supervolcano eruptions are triggered by melt buoyancy

ABOUT US
Colonel Ndala: slain hope of reformed DR Congo army

A year after Mali action, France remains 'Africa's gendarme'

French defence minister sees no need for more troops in C. Africa

Fighting across South Sudan despite peace talks: army

ABOUT US
Turning Off the "Aging Genes"

Money Talks When Ancient Antioch Meets Google Earth

Reading a good book may make permanent changes to your brain

Finnish research team reveals how emotions are mapped in the body




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement