Mice can now live more?

Scientists have for the first time increased the lifespan in mice significantly without any genetic modification. The researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) created the first mice born with much longer telomeres than normal in their species.

Given the relationship between telomeres and ageing — telomeres shorten throughout life, so older organisms have shorter telomeres — scientists launched a study generating mice in which 100 per cent of their cells had hyper-long telomeres.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, shows that the animals with hyperlong live longer in better health, free from cancer and obesity. The most relevant thing is the fact that longevity has been significantly increased for the first time ever without any genetic modification, the researchers said.

“This finding supports the idea that, when it comes to determining longevity, genes are not the only thing to consider,” said Maria Blasco, Head of the CNIO Telomeres and Telomerase Group.

“There is margin for extending life without altering the genes,” Blasco said.

Telomeres form the end of chromosomes, in the nucleus of each cell in the body. Their function is to protect the integrity of the genetic information in DNA. Whenever the cells divide the telomeres, they are shortened a little, so one of the main characteristics of ageing is the accumulation of short telomeres in cells. “Telomere shortening is considered to be one of the primary causes of ageing, given that short telomeres cause ageing of the organism and reduce longevity,”, the researchers said. —PTI