Ageless Quest: One Scientist's Search for Genes that Prolong YouthAgeless Questis a personal, sometimes controversial, account of the pursuit of a genetic †̃cure' for aging by an expert in the field. The author is the Novartis Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Aging has always been regarded as a highly complex process with many degenerative changes leading to the cessation of life. But recent research has identified a relatively simple mechanism that governs the pace of aging. Lenny Guarente's Ageless Questis a scientific detective story for the baby boom generation. It offers an insider's view of an area of potentially astonishing high reward—and equally high risk. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 11 | |
First Genetic Insight | 17 |
Identification of the AGE Locus | 27 |
The Rise and Fall of rDNA Circles and the Emergence of SIR2 | 33 |
A Molecular Blueprint for Prolonging Life Span | 47 |
SIR2 as a Universal Regulator of Survival | 59 |
Nature Promotes Survival in the Face of Scarcity | 67 |
Aging and Cancer in Mammals | 91 |
Relevance to Human Aging | 103 |
Starting a Biotechnology Company Drugs for Aging? | 115 |
Aging Gracefully in the 21st Century | 125 |
Snapshots | 133 |
Bibliography | 137 |
Glossary | 145 |
Index | 149 |
Theories of Aging SIR2 Is More Evolutionary Than Revolutionary | 73 |
Calorie Restriction and Life Span | 83 |
Common terms and phrases
activity of SIRT1 ADP-ribose adults AGE locus aging process amino acids animals anti-aging antibodies apoptosis biologists biology biotech Brian Caenorhabditis elegans called calorie restriction cancer causes aging causes of aging cell division cellular chromatin chromosomes cloning Cold Spring Harbor cultured Cynthia Kenyon deacetylation diet disease DNA sequences drug elegans enzymatic activity enzyme experiments findings function gene expression genetic genome glucose Guarente Harvard histone deacetylase human idea insulin live longer longer life span mammals mating mechanism metabolic mice molecular molecule mother cells mouse mutant nature Nick normal oocytes organisms oxidative damage oxygen petri plates postdoc promote survival protein rDNA circles reaction recombination regulate reproduction scientists senescence silencing SIR troika SIR2 genes SIR2 protein SIR4 SIRT SIRT1 slow aging specific start-up stem cells strains Su-ju telomerase telomeres theory of aging tion tissue University worm gene yeast yeast aging yeast and worms yeast cells
Popular passages
Page 78 - My proposal in 1971 was to forecast travel demand at the level of the individual rather than at the level of the traffic zone.
Page 122 - Usually at least one of the board members "attends" by conference call. The meeting is an orderly discussion by voices near and far about pressing matters, usually involving the financing and business development of the company. This is what was missing at my earlier start-up, BioTechnica. We also talk about the latest science and the research directions of the company. At the end we leave the room feeling good, and, if the stars are aligned properly, proceed to a fine restaurant for dinner.
Page 119 - Cindy convinced us that the hidden assets of VC backing are invaluable to the success of start-ups. They have many contacts with other companies and boundless experience to bring to the table. Furthermore, their backing is an imprimatur that will attract more investors as the company grows. Finally, they are ready to invest again in a later round of financing.
Page 76 - George Williams, an evolutionary biologist at the State University of New York in Stony Brook, and bears the ungainly name of antagonistic pleiotropy.
Page 40 - A few weeks later, the rDNA circle model of aging appeared on the front page of the New York Times science section accompanied by a long article by Nicholas Wade, the science reporter for the Times.
Page 122 - I still do not know the answer to this question, but I am optimistic that the two can be kept separate and complementary rather than competitive.
Page 37 - Smeal, former president of the National Organization for Women and founder of the Feminist Majority.