The long-life gene

Scientists may have discovered the fountain of youth in an Ashkenazi Jewish community in New York. A team of researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine discovered a gene in all subjects — who averaged 97 years old — that prevents their cells from aging.

The gene produces higher levels of the enzyme telomerase, which protects the body’s telomeres from shortening during cell division and over time, in turn protecting the body’s cells from dying. Telomeres are located at the end of chromosomes and serve to prevent DNA from unraveling during cell division. During each phase of cell division, however, the telomeres shorten. The shorter the telomere, the greater chance that the cell will die.

Researchers studied a group of 86 healthy individuals, 175 of their children and 93 individuals whose parents lived a normal lifespan. They chose to study the Ashkenazi Jewish community because its members are so closely related, making it easier to identify genetic differences.

The team’s published results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal indicate that younger generations inherited the gene. Moreover, further study could result in a drug that stimulates the “fountain of youth” enzyme. Some scientists warn against this, however, as it may lead to increased cell mutations, which could cause cancer.

—compiled by Lani Hossain