Adaptive Responses to Stress and Mortality Risk with Emphasis on Aging Rates

我的实验室试图了解为什么动物的衰老速度如此不同，哪些过程与衰老有关，以及我们如何操纵衰老速度。研究衰老需要寿命短的动物。我们把蟋蟀作为衰老的模型，因为年轻的蟋蟀长得像成年人，吃的食物也相似。影响蟋蟀衰老的基因在所有动物中都非常相似。蟋蟀的寿命约为120天，而迄今为止最长寿的人类寿命为122岁。我们已经将板球的寿命延长到257天。我们设计了一种多成分的饮食配方，可以延长寿命，减少癌症，并减缓衰老小鼠大脑和身体的恶化。这种疗法旨在帮助与衰老相关的五种疾病。这些措施包括1)中和在所有动物细胞中产生能量的微小熔炉(称为线粒体)产生的有毒副产品。这些副产品本质上会导致“生物生锈”；2)使炉子工作得更好，这样它们产生的毒素更少，但仍然产生足够的能量，以防止否则伴随衰老而出现的衰退；3)减少可能导致损害的免疫系统的过度活动；4)维持胰岛素的活动(与能量供应和糖尿病有关)；以及5)维持年轻的细胞膜，该细胞膜传递神经元放电，并在所有动物细胞中运输食物、O2、CO2和废物。板球研究将帮助我们获得一种改进的干预措施，作为一种研究工具。

My laboratory seeks to understand why animals age at such different rates, what processes are associated with aging and how we can manipulate aging rates. Studying aging requires animals that have short lives. We developed crickets as a model of aging because young crickets resemble adults and eat similar food. Genes that impact aging in crickets are VERY similar in all animals. Crickets live about 120 days whereas the oldest human so far lived 122 years. We have extended the cricket lifespan to 257 days. We designed a multi-ingredient dietary formulation that extends longevity, reduces cancer and slows deterioration in the brains and bodies of aging mice. This treatment was designed to help five things associated with aging. These include 1) neutralizing the toxic byproducts generated by the tiny furnaces (called mitochondria) that make energy in all animal cells. These byproducts essentially cause “biological rusting;” 2) making the furnaces work better so they produce less toxins but still make enough energy to prevent the declines otherwise accompanying aging; 3) reducing excess activity of the immune system that can cause damage; 4) maintaining the actions of insulin (related to energy supply and diabetes); and 5) maintaining youthful cell membranes that transmit neuronal firing and transport food, O2, CO2 and waste in all animal cells. Cricket studies will help us derive an improved intervention that can serve as a research tool.