Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • China Slams Trump’s Tariff Threat to BRICS Nations: “We Oppose Coercion Through Tariffs”
    • Senate’s “Most Dangerous” Tax Bill Sparks Outrage as Democrats Unite Against Billionaire Bailout
    • Paramount’s $16 Million Settlement with Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit
    • Cricmax Connect: Powering the Organic Growth of Cricket in America
    • Political Constraints and Losses in Operation Sindoor – Why the Silence?
    • India’s Operation Sindhu: Rescuing Thousands from Iran-Israel Conflict
    • India Rejects Pakistan’s Court of Arbitration, Upholds Indus Waters Treaty
    • The Golf GTI EDITION 50: Fastest Volkswagen Ever on the Nürburgring
    • About
    • Careers
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Digpu NewsDigpu News
    Tuesday, July 8
    • Home
    • World
    • India
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Sports
    • More
      • Achievers
      • Auto Tech
      • Diplomatic Diary
      • Dil Paziir
      • Education
      • Entertainment
      • Finance
      • Health
      • Opinion
      • Politics
      • Press release
      • Startup
      • Science & Nature
      • Travel
    Digpu NewsDigpu News
    Home » Health » The study says scientists need to rethink which genes linked to the ageing process

    The study says scientists need to rethink which genes linked to the ageing process

    By Cheshta BakshiJune 26, 2021 Health No Comments5 Mins Read
    Study says scientists need to rethink which genes linked to ageing process (2)
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Only about 30 per cent of the genes traditionally associated with an ageing set an animal’s internal clock while the rest reflect the body’s response to bacteria.

     Washington [US] –

    Researchers at the National Institutes of Health fed antibiotics to fruit flies to better understand the role of bacteria in health and disease. They monitored the lifetime activity of hundreds of genes that scientists have traditionally thought control ageing.

     To their surprise, the antibiotics not only extended the lives of the flies but also dramatically changed the activity of many of these genes. Their results published in the Journal Science suggested that only about 30 per cent of the genes traditionally associated with ageing set an animal’s internal clock while the rest reflect the body’s response to bacteria.

     “For decades scientists have been developing a hit list of common ageing genes. These genes are thought to control the ageing process throughout the animal kingdom, from worms to mice to humans,” said Edward Giniger, PhD, senior investigator, at the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the senior author of the study published in iScience.

    Study says scientists need to rethink which genes linked to ageing process (2)

     He added, “We were shocked to find that only about 30 per cent of these genes may be directly involved in the ageing process. We hope that these results will help medical researchers better understand the forces that underlie several age-related disorders.”

     The results happened by accident. Dr Giniger’s team studies the genetics of ageing in a type of fruit fly called Drosophila. Previously, the team showed how a hyperactive immune system may play a critical role in the neural damage that underlies several ageing brain disorders. However, that study did not examine the role that bacteria may have in this process.

     To test this idea, they raised newborn male flies on antibiotics to prevent bacteria growth. At first, they thought that the antibiotics would have little or no effect. But, when they looked at the results, they saw something interesting. The antibiotics lengthened the fly’s lives by about six days, from 57 days for control flies to 63 for the treated ones.

     “This is a big jump in age for flies. In humans, it would be the equivalent of gaining about 20 years of life,” said Arvind Kumar Shukla, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow on Dr Giniger’s team and the lead author of the study. “We were totally caught off guard and it made us wonder why these flies took so long to die.”

     Dr Shukla and his colleagues looked for clues in the genes of the flies. Especially, they used advanced genetic techniques to monitor gene activity in the heads of 10, 30, and 45-day old flies. In a previous study, the team discovered links between the age of a fly and the activity of several genes. In this study, they found that raising the flies on antibiotics broke many of these links.

     Overall, the gene activity of the flies fed antibiotics changed very little with age. Regardless of their actual age, the treated flies genetically looked like 30-day old control flies. This appeared to be due to a flat line in the activity of about 70 per cent of the genes the researchers surveyed, many of which are thought to control ageing.

     “At first, we had a hard time believing the results. Many of these genes are classical hallmarks of ageing and yet our results suggested that their activity is more a function of the presence of bacteria rather than the ageing process,” said Dr Shukla.

    Study says scientists need to rethink which genes linked to ageing process (2)

     Notably, this included genes that control stress and immunity. The researchers tested the impact that the antibiotics had on these genes by starving some flies or infecting others with harmful bacteria and found no clear trend. At some ages, the antibiotics helped flies survive starvation or infection longer than normal whereas at other ages the drugs either had no effect or reduced the chances of survival.

     Further experiments supported the results. For instance, the researchers saw similar results on gene activity when they prevented the growth of bacteria by raising the flies in a completely sterile environment without antibiotics. They also saw a similar trend when they reanalysed the data from another study that had raised flies on antibiotics. Again, the antibiotics severed many of the links between ageing and hallmark gene activity.

     Finally, the team found an explanation for why antibiotics extended the lives of flies in the remaining 30 per cent of the genes they analysed. In short, the rate at which the activity of these genes changed with age was slower than normal in flies that were fed antibiotics.

     Interestingly, many of these genes are known to control sleep-wake cycles, the detection of odorants, and the maintenance of exoskeletons, or the crunchy shells that encase flies. Experiments on sleep-wake cycles supported the link between these genes and ageing. The activity of awake flies decreased with age and this trend was enhanced by treating the flies with antibiotics.

     “We found that there are some genes that are in fact setting the body’s internal clock,” said Dr Giniger. “In the future, we plan to locate which genes are truly linked to the ageing process. If we want to combat ageing, then we need to know precisely which genes are setting the clock.”

    Ageing New Study
    Cheshta Bakshi
    • Facebook
    • X (Twitter)
    • Instagram
    • Tumblr
    • LinkedIn

    Cheshta Bakshi gave Digpu the slogan 'Free Voice With A Critical Edge'. With over 6 years of experience in Research and Analysis, she has also published her research on Information and Communication Technology(ICT). She is best known for strong opinions and bringing out exclusive news stories.

    Keep Reading

    WHO Declares MPOX a Public Health Emergency: A New Global Health Challenge Emerges

    Alarming Rates of Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescent Girls

    IMD Issues Heavy Rainfall Warnings Across India

    NASA to Showcase Cutting-Edge Research at 13th Annual Space Station Conference

    How Sauna Bathing Can Improve Heart Health and Reduce Cardiovascular Risks

    UNAIDS Report: Paving the Path to End AIDS by 2030

    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Latest

    China Slams Trump’s Tariff Threat to BRICS Nations: “We Oppose Coercion Through Tariffs”

    July 7, 2025

    Senate’s “Most Dangerous” Tax Bill Sparks Outrage as Democrats Unite Against Billionaire Bailout

    July 2, 2025

    Paramount’s $16 Million Settlement with Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit

    July 2, 2025

    Cricmax Connect: Powering the Organic Growth of Cricket in America

    July 1, 2025

    China Slams Trump’s Tariff Threat to BRICS Nations: “We Oppose Coercion Through Tariffs”

    July 7, 2025

    Senate’s “Most Dangerous” Tax Bill Sparks Outrage as Democrats Unite Against Billionaire Bailout

    July 2, 2025

    Paramount’s $16 Million Settlement with Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit

    July 2, 2025

    Cricmax Connect: Powering the Organic Growth of Cricket in America

    July 1, 2025
    About
    About

    Digpu News – Free Voice With A Critical Edge: At Digpu.com, we embody the spirit of ‘Free Voice With A Critical Edge.‘ Our mission is to reinvent the very idea of news. Launched in 2018, our independent daily English online news channel has set the standard for true journalism—emphasizing accuracy, reliability, relevance, and impartiality.

    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Highlights

    China Slams Trump’s Tariff Threat to BRICS Nations: “We Oppose Coercion Through Tariffs”

    Diplomatic Diary July 7, 2025

    Senate’s “Most Dangerous” Tax Bill Sparks Outrage as Democrats Unite Against Billionaire Bailout

    Paramount’s $16 Million Settlement with Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit

    Cricmax Connect: Powering the Organic Growth of Cricket in America

    Subscribe to Digpu
    © 2025 Digpu News Network. All rights reserved.
    • Terms of Use
    • Site Map
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.