PGC-1 Gene Activity In Intestines Slows Aging In Fruit Flies
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - 00:30
in Biology & Nature
Biologists working with fruit flies activated a gene called PGC-1, which increases the activity of mitochondria, the tiny power generators in cells that control cell growth and tell cells when to live and die. Result: it slowed the aging process of the flies' intestines and extended their lives by as much as 50 percent. Fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, have a life span of about two months. They start showing signs of aging after about one month - they slow down, become less active and die. They are a good model for studying aging because scientists know every one of their genes and can switch individual ones on and off. read more