It was also found that these worms were resistant to the toxins which cause many age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease. University of Washington professor of pathology Dr Matt Kaeberlin stated that, “defining cellular mechanisms that prevent accumulation of these proteins may point to new therapeutic diseases for devastating diseases that often accompany old age in people.”
It has already been found in worms, flies and mice that the restriction of an organism’s diet helps slow the aging process; however the group believe that the hypoxic response follows a different genetic pathway than that followed by dietary restriction. The major protein which activates the hypoxic response is known as HIF. When adequate levels of oxygen in the environment are present, HIF is tagged for destruction by another protein VHL-1. When the researchers from the University of Washington bred worms which were unable to synthesize VHL-1 and therefore constantly maintained a hypoxic response, they found that these worms lived around 30% longer than the worms that were able to produce VHL-1.
While the group found that the proteins associated with the hypoxic response are similar in many animals including humans, it was suggested that it would currently be unwise to mutate VHL-1 in order to cure old age, as this process is associated with the development of tumours.
"Survival Mode That Protects Cells When Oxygen Is Low Also Slows Aging", Retrieved April 23 2009 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090416144514.htm
