Nematodes: Taking or extending lives?

From a veterinary perspective, nematodes are potential pathogens, but there is another side.
A specific gene found in nematodes presents the possibility of increasing longevity in mammals.
Scientists discovered many years ago that reducing calorie intake of around 60% could increase lifespan of mammals by 40%.
Unfortunately as humans our diets consist of a high intake of calories and reducing this by 60% would imply starvation.

Would you want to live on lettuce and water for the rest of your life?

An experiment conducted in USA investigated the affect of transcription factor (gene controlling other genes in a genome) PHA-4 in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, being the first gene found to link calorie restriction to longevity. The PHA-4 is essential in embryogenesis developing the pharynx, but also as important in mature nematodes regulating metabolism.
Mammals contain orthologous transcription factors called Foxa 1 + 2 + 3, significant for regulating glucagon production in response to starvation.
In this experiment different tests indicated importance of PHA-4 for nematodes in extending longevity and PHA-4 was found to be more efficient at this than the Foxa genes in mammals. Calorie restriction is believed to decrease the risk of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as age-related problems.

This new discovery opens up a new window of opportunities in the pharmaceutical world supplying especially humans with pills contributing to longevity, without the need of major lifestyle changes.

Remember next time you encounter nematodes; they may be responsible for your survivability.

Written by: Stephanie Ostblom 41125915
Primary source: “PHA-4/Foxa mediates diet-restriction-induced longevity of C. elegans” - Siler H. Panowski1, Suzanne Wolff1, Hugo Aguilaniu1,2, Jenni Durieux1 & Andrew Dillin1
Secondary source:
http://www.supercentenarian.com/archive/pha-4.html
http://www.pha4.com/
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/070501_PHA-4.htm