Gene could hold secret to youth

Last Modified: 30 Nov 2007
Source: PA News

A single gene could hold the secret to eternal youth, scientists have shown, after rejuvenating the skin of two-year-old mice by blocking its activity.

Not only did the animals appear more youthful, but at a biological level they resembled new-borns. The same gene, NF-kappa-B, is thought to play a role in numerous other aspects of ageing.

It acts as a regulator, causing a wide range of other genes to be more or less active in older people.

Dr Howard Chang, from the Stanford School of Medicine in California, who led the research, said: "We found a pretty striking reversal to that of the young skin.

"The implication is that the ageing process is plastic and potentially amenable to intervention."

However, he cautioned against raising false hopes of a "fountain of youth" that can turn back time. At present no one knows how long the rejuvenating process lasts. Also, scientists do not know long-term effects that might result from tinkering with NF-kappa-B, a so-called transcription factor which helps control gene activity.

The protein made by the gene has roles in a number of body functions including the immune system, and may help fight cancer. Suppressing NF-kappa-B on a long-term basis could result in cancers or other diseases, said the researchers, whose findings are reported in the journal Genes and Development.

But Dr Chang thought the work might yield short-term treatments to improve wound healing or boost organ function during illness. Older people could, for instance, be helped to recover more rapidly from injuries or surgery.

Dr Chang's team searched existing data from earlier gene investigations to show that NF-kappa-B controlled genes involved in ageing.

Next the researchers blocked NF-kappa-B in the skin of two-year-old mice. After two weeks the mice had the same active genes in their skin cells as newborn animals. Their skin was also thicker and more cells appeared to be dividing, as in the skin of younger mice.

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