"We think these new Sir2 genes are as important as any longevity genes discovered so far," said molecular biologist David Sinclair, director of the Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for Aging Research at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the new study. "There is a growing realization from the aging field that we might finally understand how to control certain aspects of the aging process and one day have drugs that can fight some of the disabilities the process causes."
Sinclair's research group previously reported in the journal Nature the first genetic link between environmental stresses and longer life. Triggered by low salt, heat, or extreme calorie restriction, a yeast "master longevity regulator" called PNC1 stimulated Sir2 activity. This new work, led by Harvard graduate student Dudley Lamming, demonstrates that PNC1 regulates the whole SIR2 family of genes, suggesting that a human PNC1 gene might protect against diseases of aging such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
The work was supported by the National Institute on Aging, the Paul F. Glenn Foundation, and the Ellison Medical Foundation and further supported by fellowships and training grants from the American Federation for Aging Research and the National Eye Institute.
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