Release date: 2016-02-26
In a new study, researchers from Michigan State University found that cells with higher fat content have longer lifespan than cells with lower fat. The results of the study were published in the journal PLoS Genetics on February 23, 2016, entitled "An Energy-Independent Pro-longevity Function of Triacylglycerol in Yeast."
The study has an impact on larger organisms such as humans because these findings support a phenomenon known as the “obesity paradoxâ€. This concept refers to the fact that overweight people have the lowest mortality caused by various causes. However, it is strange enough that the mortality rate of a slender person is roughly equal to that of a person classified as a micro-fat. Min-Hao Kuo, a biochemist and molecular biologist at Michigan State University, said, "This obesity paradox is confusing for scientists in many disciplines. But when it comes to yeast as a perfect model organism for studying human aging, increase in cells. The triglyceride (or fat) content will extend their lifespan."
Kuo's research team is the first in the world to confirm a positive correlation between triacylglycerol (TAG) content and longevity. He added that this association supports this theory of obesity paradox.
TAG is a lipid found in all eukaryotes including animals, plants and fungi. It is well known that this lipid can store too much energy, provide heat insulation, and accumulate in cells to cope with many environmental stresses. However, it is puzzling how TAG affects life.
Kuo said, "Our team uses genetic methods to manipulate the ability of [yeast] triglyceride (TAG) to produce and degrade. Through a complex analysis, we demonstrate that it is largely independent of yeast and humans. The mechanisms of other life-regulating pathways that are common in life preserve life."
The first thing Kuo's team did was to eliminate the TAG fat enzyme, which degraded the lipid into smaller molecules for use in applications including energy harvesting. Because of the inability to utilize TAG, these yeasts accumulate fat in their cells. In addition, Kuo and his colleagues increased the production of this fat by increasing the expression of enzymes for TAG synthesis.
In both cases, yeast cells contain more fat and have a longer lifespan by blocking TAG degradation and promoting its production. Conversely, yeast cells deprived of TAG synthesis ability are slimmer, but die earlier. Furthermore, yeast strains that are otherwise normal can overexpress TAG lipase to promote TAG degradation, which also allows yeast cells to have a shorter life span.
Interestingly, these yeast cells with a high fat content and long life do not appear to have significant growth defects. They mate to produce daughter cells. They also have normal resistance to different environmental stresses. On the other hand, other common methods of prolonging life, such as caloric restriction and the elimination of genes that play a key role in nutrient detection, often result in slow cell growth or poor tolerance to environmental stress.
Although Kuo's team speculates that this extended life function is also present in humans, they have not yet proven that TAG can also cause this intriguing phenomenon in humans. However, this study provides a new perspective for studying the lifespan of advanced organisms, including humans.
Source: Bio Valley
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