Cisd2 gene may hold secret to human longevity: scientists

The research program was conducted by a 12-member team led by Tsai Ting-fen, an associate professor in the Department of Life Science at National Yang-Ming University, who also heads the Mouse Genetics Laboratory under the university's Institute of Genome Sciences.

Tsai and her associates told a press conference that while trying to identify a gene linked to liver cancer in mice, they accidentally discovered that an 8-week-old black mouse deprived of the Cisd2 gene showed signs of premature aging, including grey hair, bone mass loss, loose skin, muscle atrophy, decreased body weight and lower subcutaneous fat deposition.

The black mouse's normal life span of two years was cut in half when the Cisd2 gene was disrupted, the researchers found.

Tsai said the research program has presented “a new animal model of human Wolfram syndrome,” effectively linking the Cisd2 gene function, mitochondrial integrity and aging in mammals.

Wolfram syndrome is a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder. It is clinically heterogeneous, but it is primarily characterized by juvenile onset diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy and premature death.

The Cisd2 gene is located on the long arm of human chromosome No. 4. A comparative genome analysis on centenarian siblings by American scientists in the early 2000s suggested that among the hundreds of genes in the region of Chromosome 4 is a gene or genes whose subtle modification can give a person a better chance of living well beyond the average life expectancy.

According to Tsai, her team is currently doing further research on how to revitalize the Cisd2 gene by including antioxidants in the diet.

She declined to go into detail, but dropped a hint, saying, “It could never be wrong to include a lot of fruit and vegetables in your diet.”

The results of the study the Taiwanese scientists are published in the May 15 issue of the bimonthly journal, Genes & Development, based in New York.

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