Reduced Mitochondrial Fusion or Increased Fission Slows Aging in Flies

In this study, the condition was delayed after flies were given more Drp1. In another part of the experiment, also involving middle-aged fruit flies, the scientists turned off a protein called Mfn that enables mitochondria to fuse together into larger pieces. Doing so also extended the flies' lives and improved their health. "You can either break up the mitochondria with Drp1 or prevent them from fusing by inactivating Mfn. Both have the same effect: making the mitochondria smaller and extending lifespan." Promoting Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission in midlife prolongs healthy lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key hallmark of aging and has been linked to numerous age-onset pathologies. Therefore, identifying interventions that could improve mitochondrial homeostasis when targeted to aged animals would be highly desirable toward the goal of prolonging healthspan. A growing body of data support the idea that autophagy has an important anti-aging role. However, the relevant autophagic cargo in the context of aging remains elusive. Mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy) is a type of cargo-specific autophagy, which mediates the removal of dysfunctional mitochondria. Recent studies in mammals, including humans, have reported an age-related decline in mitophagy. Moreover, impairment of mitophagy recapitulates the age-related accumulation of mitochondria in Caenorhabditis elegans. These findings suggest that the mitophagy pathw...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs