Bacteria may be driver of 70% of genes believed to control aging, groundbreaking study indicates — RT World News

https://www.rt.com/news/527558-bacteria-genes-aging-study/

Scientists may need to rethink how aging works, a new study suggests, as 70% of the genes in fruit flies traditionally believed to
be linked to aging turned out to actually be involved in the immune response to bacteria.

The groundbreaking study conducted by researchers with the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders was published by the iScience journal.

The scientists stumbled upon the discovery by chance while studying the
genetics behind the aging mechanisms in the fruit fly known as Drosophila. Previously, they found that a hyperactive immune system may be the key factor behind neural damage, and to test it further, they grew a bunch of flies, raising them on antibiotics to prevent bacteria growth.

The results of this experiment were unexpected, as around
70% of the genes traditionally linked to aging were not activated in the
bacteria-free flies.

“For decades scientists have been developing a hit list of common aging genes. These genes are thought to
control the aging process throughout the animal kingdom, from worms to
mice to humans,” the senior author of the study, Ph.D. Edward Giniger, said.

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