国产精品99一区二区三_免费中文日韩_国产在线精品一区二区_日本成人手机在线

Study finds clues to living a stronger, longer life

Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-03 06:54:42|Editor: Yamei
Video PlayerClose

CHICAGO, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Researchers from the University of Michigan (UM) Life Sciences Institute have uncovered a cause of declining motor function and increased frailty in tiny aging worms, and identified a molecule that can be targeted to improve motor function.

As humans and animals age, their motor functions progressively deteriorate. Millimeter-long roundworms called nematodes exhibit aging patterns remarkably similar to those of other animals, and they only live about three weeks, making them an ideal model system for studying aging.

To better understand how the interactions between cells changed as worms aged, the researchers investigated the junctions where motor neurons communicate with muscle tissue.

They identified a molecule called SLO-1, namely slowpoke potassium channel family member 1, that acts as a regulator for these communications. The molecule dampens neurons' activity, slowing down the signals from neurons to muscle tissue and reducing motor function.

The researchers manipulated SLO-1, first using genetic tools and then using a drug called paxilline. In both cases, they observed two major effects in the roundworms: not only did they maintain better motor function later in life, they also lived longer than normal roundworms.

"It's not necessarily ideal to have a longer lifespan without improvements in health or strength," said Shawn Xu, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the UM Medical School. "But we found that the interventions improved both parameters-these worms are healthier and they live longer."

More surprisingly, the timing of the interventions drastically changed the effects on both motor function and lifespan. When SLO-1 was manipulated early in the worms' life, it had no effect on lifespan and in fact had a detrimental effect on motor function in young worms. But when the activity of SLO-1 was blocked in mid-adulthood, both motor function and lifespan improved.

As the SLO-1 channel is preserved across many species, the researchers hope these findings will encourage others to examine its role in aging in other model organisms.

In the next step, the researchers hope to determine the importance of the SLO-1 channel in early development in the worms, and to better understand the mechanisms through which it affects lifespan.

The findings were published on Wednesday in Science Advances.

TOP STORIES
EDITOR’S CHOICE
MOST VIEWED
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011103261377156451
主站蜘蛛池模板: 庆安县| 蒙阴县| 利津县| 独山县| 武宁县| 鸡西市| 杭锦后旗| 上思县| 明星| 大同市| 苗栗市| 图木舒克市| 榆树市| 古蔺县| 吉林省| 遵义市| 舒兰市| 四子王旗| 汉川市| 南澳县| 甘孜县| 逊克县| 新干县| 剑河县| 卓尼县| 双鸭山市| 张家口市| 盐城市| 渝中区| 聂荣县| 大冶市| 商水县| 武鸣县| 大新县| 五华县| 定南县| 积石山| 普安县| 金寨县| 五大连池市| 江北区|