Turning Down a Stress Pathway Extends Lifespan in Fruit Flies
Graded Preliminary — controlled genetic experiments with more than 350 female fruit flies per test; whether this applies to humans has not been tested.
Animal study. Findings may not carry over to people, which is why the grade is capped at Preliminary.
- Design
- Animal study
- Participants
- 363
- Duration
- —
- Funding
- Vivensa; Wellcome Trust; Royal Society; NIH
Fruit flies lived longer when researchers turned down the stress switch ATF4.
Scientists have long assumed that a certain cellular alarm system, switched on under stress, helps living things live longer. In yeast and tiny worms, activating related genes does extend life. In female fruit flies, researchers now found the opposite. When they permanently boosted a key switch called ATF4, the flies died sooner. When they turned ATF4 down, the flies lived longer.
This alarm system kicks in, among other things, when the building blocks of protein run short. The team changed the genes only once the flies were adults, feeding them either a lean or a rich diet. The effect appeared on both diets. Boosting GCN2, a sensor that sits upstream of ATF4, also cut lifespan sharply. A compound called borrelidin, which triggers the alarm, shortened life too. It also erased the advantage of the flies with ATF4 turned down.
These results come from flies, and none of it was tested in people. The authors also note that a weaker dose, or a change limited to certain tissues, might act differently. ATF4 may help or harm depending on how much there is and where.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.
Topics