The key to long life will most likely be found in those that live the longest. Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have taken this idea to heart and have been working on the Longevity Gene Study. It was theorized that individuals who live a long time must possess some beneficial genes that “buffer” against more harmful genotypes.

The study gathered over 1200 individuals all of Ashkenazi Jewsish descent. Since these individuals originated from a founder group of about 30,000 people, the genetic diversity is fairly small. This makes it easier to identify genes that confer longevity to their owners.

More after the jump.

The team looked at centenarians in particular, as only one in every 10,000 individuals lives to an age of 100 or over. This may be depressing but statistically if you beat the odds until you are about 80, you suddenly have a 1/250 chance to make it another 20 years. This drastic increase in life expectancy hints at the possibility of a shared gene for longevity. These individuals may all share similar genes that allow them to outlive the rest of the population.

Furthermore, as age increases the incorporation and influence of less benign deleterious genes increases significantly. The genes that are providing the longevity, therefore, are most likely doing so by blocking the actions of other, more harmful genes. It also appears that the offspring of these centenarians are significantly more healthy than those without the longevity genes. It is hoped that by examining the genes and their pathways drugs may be created to mimic the affects of these longevity genes, thereby contributing some extra years to those of us not as genetically fortunate.

Two genes discovered (CETP-VV and APOC-3 CC) were found to be much more highly expressed in the centenarians than others. Both of these genes increase lipoparticle size and has been found in the past to reduce the risk of CVD, among other things. CETP-VV in particular is receiving a lot of attention as scientists attempt to decipher the pathway and interactions involved.

The study only revealed a few genes found in common between the centenarians but they are hopeful similar studies will be taken place on larger groups of subjects. The key to long life most likely won’t be fixing what is breaking but preventing it from breaking in the first place

References

Bergman, A. et al, Buffering Mechanisms in Aging: A systems approach towards uncovering the genetic component of aging, PLoS Comput Biol, July (2007), 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030170.eor

Press Release, Einstein Researchers Use Novel Approach to Uncover Genetic Components of Aging