Molecular Intake on Slowing Aging
In any aspect of Biology, especially Molecular Biology, the use of model organisms is very essential when it comes to conducting a research. Model organisms play an important role in Molecular research because their genome has been identified and therefore researchers can knockdown the expression of their gene of interest. In this study, fruit flies were used to slow down their aging by breaking mitochondria into smaller pieces, through the alteration of genes and proteins.
As humans grow older the mitochondria gets old, weary, and builds up in the cells. It is normal for a cell to eliminate what becomes waste, but sometimes it can become too much and is not allowed to function as it should be. This can potentially be troublesome for the cell and bring about diseases.
Researchers did experiments on fruit flies to see if aiding the cell in breaking down the accumulated, damaged mitochondria could help to eliminate it out properly. They noticed that the protein Drp1 declined as people began to age, so they ultimately increased the amounts of this protein in the fruit flies to see how it would affect them. The fruit flies actually ended up living longer than they would have without the increase of Drp1. Since the increase in levels of Drp1 prolonged the life expectancy, it was concluded that the protein did have a significance in breaking down the damaged mitochondria therefore making it easier for the cell to dispose of them. Another study showed that the gene Atg1 also plays a role in the aging of a person, because it helps the cell get rid of the mitochondria.
The ultimate concept of these experiments is that as age is slowed down, diseases that come with age can be delayed. I believe this topic is very intriguing because the questions of whether you would like to live a few years longer just to delay the diseases is in place. There are people that are willing to take a longer life expectancy just so they will not have to not encounter horrible diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease and there are others that would be completely against it. I just found it appealing because it offered a new alternative or answer to age related disease that no one wishes to have.
Reference:
University of California - Los Angeles. "Biologists slow aging, extend lifespan of fruit flies: 'Cellular time machine' could eventually benefit humans, too." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170906103421.htm>.
As humans grow older the mitochondria gets old, weary, and builds up in the cells. It is normal for a cell to eliminate what becomes waste, but sometimes it can become too much and is not allowed to function as it should be. This can potentially be troublesome for the cell and bring about diseases.
Researchers did experiments on fruit flies to see if aiding the cell in breaking down the accumulated, damaged mitochondria could help to eliminate it out properly. They noticed that the protein Drp1 declined as people began to age, so they ultimately increased the amounts of this protein in the fruit flies to see how it would affect them. The fruit flies actually ended up living longer than they would have without the increase of Drp1. Since the increase in levels of Drp1 prolonged the life expectancy, it was concluded that the protein did have a significance in breaking down the damaged mitochondria therefore making it easier for the cell to dispose of them. Another study showed that the gene Atg1 also plays a role in the aging of a person, because it helps the cell get rid of the mitochondria.
The ultimate concept of these experiments is that as age is slowed down, diseases that come with age can be delayed. I believe this topic is very intriguing because the questions of whether you would like to live a few years longer just to delay the diseases is in place. There are people that are willing to take a longer life expectancy just so they will not have to not encounter horrible diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease and there are others that would be completely against it. I just found it appealing because it offered a new alternative or answer to age related disease that no one wishes to have.
Reference:
University of California - Los Angeles. "Biologists slow aging, extend lifespan of fruit flies: 'Cellular time machine' could eventually benefit humans, too." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170906103421.htm>.
To the extent that you can avoid using Science Daily as a source, you should. Science Daily is trying to do the same thing as you are...explain something complicated to a broad community of interested readers. Insofar as SD is a primary source, you have very little room to add your own take.
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