Connecting NANOG Expression with the Response to Methionine Restriction

Calorie restriction is known to slow aging, albeit to a much greater degree in short-lived species than in long-lived species. Finding important mechanisms involved in the beneficial response to calorie restriction continues to be a major focus on the research community, even though it is questionable as to whether this is a good approach to the treatment of aging. A sizable fraction of the response to calorie restriction appears to be mediated by methionine sensing, at least judging by the degree to which reducing methioninine intake can reproduce the benefits of full calorie restriction. In today's open access paper, researchers connect NANOG expression to the methionine restriction response, certainly an interesting link. NANOG is a pluripotency factor expressed in embryonic stem cells, studied in the contexts of regeneration, cancer, and cell reprogramming. One might not expect it to employ methionine sensing mechanisms to achieve changes on cell metabolism, and yet it does. Everything connects to everything else when it comes to regulation of cell behavior, it seems. More pertinently, senescent cells are metabolically active, with a high methionine metabolism driving their ability to generate harmful signaling. Expressing NANOG squashes that activity to restore better function. This is perhaps a good idea in severe conditions such as progeria in which a sizable fraction of cells become senescent, but less of a good idea in normal aging, even given a role o...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs