WESTWOOD—Researchers at UCLA have recently discovered a way to slow down the aging process in fruit flies. The scientist working with fruit flies activated PGC-1, a gene that can increase the effectiveness of mitochondria, which control the growth of cells.

According to Phosphosite, an online biology resource, PCG-1 in humans provides a direct link between external physiological stimuli, and it is often involved in controlling blood pressure, regulating cellular cholesterol homeostasis as well as the development of obesity.

"We took this gene and boosted its activity in different cells and tissues of the fly and asked whether this impacts the aging process," said David Walker, an assistant professor of integrative biology and physiology at UCLA and a senior author of the study. "We discovered that when we boost PGC-1 within the fly's digestive tract, the fly lives significantly longer. We also studied neurons, muscle and other tissue types and did not find life extension; this is telling us there is something important about the digestive tract."

According to a UCLA news release, the study can currently be found in the online edition of the journal Cell Metabolism and will be published in an upcoming print edition.

Walker further commented on the study saying, "By activating this one gene in this one tissue—the intestine—the fly lives longer; we slow aging of the intestine, and that has a positive effect on the whole animal. Our study shows that increasing PGC-1 gene activity in the intestine can slow aging, both at the cellular level and at the level of the whole animal."

By delaying the aging of the intestines of the flies, scientists were able to extend their lives up to 50 percent.

This is relevant to humans, as it has been discovered that intestinal health plays a major role in aging. Walker spoke to this saying, "We all think about protecting the brain and the heart, but the intestine is a vital tissue type for healthy aging."

“If anything goes wrong with the mitochondria in cells, the consequences could be devastating, and if anything goes wrong with our intestines, that may have devastating consequences for other tissue types and organs," Walker said. "Not only is the intestine essential for the uptake of nutrients that are a vital source of energy, but it is also an important barrier that protects us from toxins and pathogens in the environment. The intestine has to be well-maintained.”

The team is using fruit flies, or Drosophila melanogaster, because they have a life span of about two months. According to Walker, this is seen as a good model in the study of aging because scientists can more easily switch individual genes on and off.

"No one yet knows what causes aging at the cellular or tissue level," Walker said. "As we age, our mitochondria become less efficient and less active. That has far-reaching consequences, because if the mitochondria decline, then all of our cellular functions may be compromised. However, it's a dangerous road to travel to say, 'This is the cause of aging.'"

In order to test mitochondria’s role in aging, researchers increased levels of expression of the fly’s version of PGC-1 gene and discovered that the process activated the gene. After this, the scientists tested to see if boosting PGC-1 activity could slow the aging, process which they found it had.

Dr. David Walker. Photo courtesy of UCLA.

It was also found that the activation of mitochondria by way of increasing of PGC-1 has been found to slow cellular changes in the intestine, proving a link between mitochondria, tissue stem cells and aging.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Ellison Medical Foundation.

Requests for additional comment were not answered as of press time.

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