Is there a way to age but stay healthy, without diseases and chronic diseases bothering us and reducing the quality of life? Australian researchers believe they have discovered the secret to healthy aging in a “magical” protein found in the “heart” of cells that can play a key role in reversing the aging process.
University of Queensland researchers have found that the protein ATSF-1 has the role of a regulator that keeps the balance between the creation of new mitochondria and the repair of damaged ones. The master protein that activates, locates and repairs damaged mitochondria may also hold the key to antiaging, according to research published in Nature Cell Biology.
It is recalled that mitochondria are the energy production laboratories of our body. These small organelles within the cells are responsible for producing the energy required by the human body. Over time, however, the efficiency of the mitochondria decreases, resulting in the energy required to carry out the various cellular functions not being produced. Additionally, the toxic by-products of mitochondrial activity contribute to the rate of cell aging.
“In conditions of cellular stress, when mitochondrial DNA has been damaged, the ATSF-1 protein undertakes the ‘repairs’ thus promoting cellular health and longevity,” explains Dr Steven Zuryn, Associate Professor at the University of Queensland’s Brain Institute.
Dr Zuryn likened the relationship to a racing car making a pit stop – an image familiar to Formula 1 watchers. “ATSF-1 protein sends a signal that the cell needs a pit stop when the mitochondria are damaged and in need of repair,” he explains. Dr. Zuryn.
The researchers studied the action of ATFS-1 in C. elegans worms and found that enhancing its function promoted cellular health, which practically meant that the worms remained alert and mobile for longer.
“They [C. elegans] didn’t live longer, but they were healthier as they aged,” the researcher explained, adding that “mitochondrial dysfunction is at the core of many age-related diseases, such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Our finding could contribute to healthy aging and have benefits for people with inherited mitochondrial diseases.”
Understanding how cells undertake the “repairs” of damaged mitochondria is an important step forward in identifying ways to prevent mitochondrial damage, and thus cellular damage and aging.
The ultimate aim of the research as explained by Dr Michael Dai from the University of Queensland Brain Institute. is to prolong the healthy function of tissues and organs that normally declines with time and the aging process, by understanding the role of mitochondria in this process. “We may eventually design interventions that keep mitochondrial DNA healthier for longer, thus improving our quality of life,” he concludes.
