UCLA

On November 8, UCLA biologists reported that they had slowed the aging process in fruit flies. They 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.

“We took this gene and boosted its activity in different cells and tissues of the fly and asked whether this impacts the aging process,” said David Walker, an assistant professor of integrative biology and physiology at UCLA and a senior author of the study. “We discovered that when we boost PGC-1 within the fly’s digestive tract, the fly lives significantly longer. We also studied neurons, muscle and other tissue types and did not find life extension; this is telling us there is something important about the digestive tract.” Read more