[ExI] Better than CR?

[Anders Sandberg]

A paper in PLOS Geneticshttp://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.0040013shows that the Ras/cAMP/PKA/Rim15/Msn2/4 and the Tor/Sch9/Rim15/Gis1 pathways are major mediators of the calorie restriction-dependent stress resistance and life span extension in yeast (but I think they are pretty well conserved - Tor is after all heavily studied in mammals). They found that inactivating them had a bigger effect than CR itself. 
Of course, whether this can be useful in humans remains to be seen. Lots of snarly cross-connections that might have undesirable side effects (cAMP and PKA are involved in *everything*), and there is the issue of how good CR actually is in humans. But still, nice piece of information. 

"The yeast mutants lacking Ras2, Tor1, or Sch9 are long-lived. The anti-aging effect observed in these mutants depends on the protein Rim15 and several key regulators of gene expression that are essential in inducing cellular protection under stress. The beneficial effects of calorie restriction are much smaller in yeast that are missing these proteins, indicating their essential role in promoting longevity. Our study also showed that by combining the genetic manipulation and calorie restriction intervention, yeast can reach a life span ten times that of those grown under standard conditions. "

Anders Sandberg, Future of Humanity Institute Philosophy Faculty of Oxford University
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