Gene Mutation Doubles Fly's Life Span

ByABC News
December 15, 2000, 12:01 PM

W A S H I N G T O N, Dec. 15 -- Mutation of a gene whimsically named Im notdead yet can double the life span of fruit flies, a laboratorydiscovery that researchers said may lead to drugs to help peoplelive longer and, perhaps, even lose weight.

Researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center havefound that the life span of fruit flies was extended from anaverage of 37 days to 70 days when a gene was modified on a singlechromosome. Some flies in the study lived 110 days.

The same long-life gene exists in humans, said Dr. Stephen L.Helfand, senior author of the study, and offers a target forfuture drug therapies aimed at extending life.

In human terms, a doubled life span would be about 150 years.

Name Inspired by Monty Python

Helfand said the gene mutation appears to work by restrictingcalorie absorption on a cellular level in effect, putting thecells on a diet. This raises the possibility, he said, of one daydeveloping a pill that would both extend life and control weight.

From what we know about this gene, that makes perfect sense,he said.

Helfand said a key finding of the study, which appearedtoday in the journal Science, is that not only did the fruit flieslive longer, but they also seemed to maintain a high quality oflife.

It is not an empty or hollow increase in life span. Itprolongs active adult life, and I think, delays the onset ofaging, he said.

Some life-extension studies showed that animals tended to tradevigor and energy for a longer life, he said.

But the mutant flies do well throughout their longer life,Helfand said. By the time that 80 to 90 percent of normal fliesare dead, these mutants are still doing just fine.

Blanka Rogina, a co-author of the study, said female flies withthe mutated genes were able to reproduce throughout life. They hadthe energy for the fruit flies complex courtship ritual and couldlay up to 2,000 eggs in their lifetime, compared with about 1,300eggs normally, she said.