Aging, neurodegenerative link found

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 10 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have discovered a specific gene provides a link between aging and neurodegenerative disorders.

A group of enzymes known as sirtuins are known to slow the aging process. Now, researchers led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Li-Huei Tsai have discovered one particular sirtuin-producing gene links aging and human neurodegenerative disorders.

The researchers said their finding might lead to new drugs to fight Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurological maladies.

The scientists said the SIR2 (silent information regulator) gene and sirtuin, the enzyme it produces, promote longevity in a variety of organisms and may be tied to the health benefits of caloric restriction, which delays aging and neurodegeneration in mammals.

Tsai and colleagues report SIRT1, the analogous human version of SIR2, "constitutes a unique molecular link between aging and human neurodegenerative disorders and provides a promising avenue for therapeutic intervention."

The scientists said their study is an extension of work reported during the past several years by Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor David Sinclair.

The research that included graduate student Dohoon Kim and researchers Matthew Dobbin, Andre Fischer, Farahnaz Sananbenesi and Ivana Delalle appeared in a recent issue of The EMBO Journal.