Studying yeast cells, researchers build a biosynthetic genetic ‘clock’ to extend lifespan. Researchers have created a synthetic genetic 'clock' that significantly extends cellular lifespan. By reprogramming the gene regulatory circuit that controls aging, cells periodically switch between two det
A team of researchers has developed a biosynthetic genetic ‘clock’ that significantly extends cellular lifespan, as reported in the journal. The study involved genetically rewiring the gene regulatory circuit that controls cell aging, transforming it from a toggle switch to a clock-like device or gene oscillator. This oscillator periodically switches the cell between two detrimental aged states, thereby preventing prolonged commitment to either and slowing cell degeneration.
“These gene circuits can operate like our home electric circuits that control devices like appliances and automobiles,” said Professor Nan Hao of the School of Biological Sciences’ Department of Molecular Biology, the senior author of the study and co-director of UC San Diego’s Synthetic Biology Institute.
In the new study, the researchers genetically rewired the circuit that controls cell aging. From its normal role functioning like a toggle switch, they engineered a negative feedback loop to stall the aging process. The rewired circuit operates as a clock-like device, called a gene oscillator, that drives the cell to periodically switch between two detrimental “aged” states, avoiding prolonged commitment to either, and thereby slowing the cell’s degeneration.
“This is the first time computationally guided synthetic biology and engineering principles were used to rationally redesign gene circuits and reprogram the aging process to effectively promote longevity,” said Hao. “Our results establish a connection between gene network architecture and cellular longevity that could lead to rationally-designed gene circuits that slow aging,” the researchers note in their study.yeast cells as a model for the aging of human cells. They developed and employed microfluidics and time-lapse microscopy to track the aging processes across the cell’s lifespan.
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