Sirtuins have long been implicated in playing a role in the longevity of various species, including our own, and researchers at the University of Rochester have now discovered more supporting evidence that they do.

What are sirtuins?

Sirtuins are a family of proteins that facilitate cellular function and have long been known to play a role in aging. In particular, they are responsible for functions such as gene expression and are involved in DNA repair. It has long been understood that sirtuins played a role in aging, but the key factor in how well they function is the presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a coenzyme found in all living cells. NAD+ biology is central to deregulated nutrient sensing and a reason why we age, and sirtuins play a key role in this biology.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been a topic of great interest in the last decade or so due to their ability to improve tissue regeneration merely by their presence and the secreted signals they give out.

Adult MSCs have traditionally been used for regenerative medicine with hit-and-miss results, depending on the quality and age of the harvested MSCs. It has been discovered in recent years that the efficacy of these cells greatly depends on how damaged by aging they are, which explains why MSC therapy sometimes works very well in one person but not so much in another.

However, what about aged cells that are reprogrammed back to pluripotency then guided into becoming mesenchymal stem cells through cellular reprogramming?

Earlier this year, we launched a new webinar series where our monthly patrons, the Lifespan Heroes, are given the opportunity to join live discussion panels with the researchers who are working on solving aging.

Our April 8th, 2019 episode saw Dr. Mike Lustgarten, Dr. Amy Proal, and Dr. Cosmo Mielke join hosts Dr. Oliver Medvedik and Steve Hill for a discussion about the microbiome and how it relates to aging.

The webinar discusses gut flora and the pro-aging effects of immune system burden, the link between bacterial burden and inflammation, and exercise and nutrition. There was also plenty of discussion about the immediately available practical measures that can improve the gut microbiome and thus control weight and promote health.

Rochester researchers have uncovered more evidence that the key to the “Fountain of Youth” may reside in a gene that is found to produce more potent proteins in species with longer lifespans. (Getty Images photo)

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