People with shorter genes age faster, are more at risk of developing diseases and have a shorter life expectancy, according to a recent study.
- Short genes also play a role in the body.
- For example, they can help fight certain pathogens.
Human beings have between 20,000 and 23,000 genes, depending on the MSD Manual which defines them as “segments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that contain the code for a specific protein that functions in one or more types of cells in the body”. They are found in the chromosomes, which are in the cell nucleus.
A lower life expectancy when the genes are short
According to a new study published in the journal Nature Agingpeople with shorter genes would age faster, be more at risk of developing diseases and have a reduced life expectancy.
To arrive at their results, the scientists analyzed tissue from humans (ages 30-49, 50-69, and then 70+) and animals (mice, rats, and killifish). . Thus, in all species, they observed this same phenomenon: the shorter the genes, the shorter the lifespan. And conversely, if the genes are long, life expectancy increases.
“The result for humans is very interesting because we have more samples for humans than for animals, explains Luis Amaral, lead author of this study in a communicated. It was also interesting because all the mice we studied are genetically identical, of the same sex and raised in the same laboratory conditions, but humans are all different. They all died of different causes and at different ages. We analyzed male and female samples separately and found the same pattern”.
Gene size imbalance is problematic
If a gene is long, it forms a larger protein, and vice versa. But, to be healthy, a cell must have a balanced number of small and large proteins. Thus, when there is an imbalance, the person may have health problems. “Changes in gene activity are very, very small, and those small changes involve thousands of genes”, indicates Thomas Stoeger, another author of this study.
The researchers then wanted to understand whether the length of genes had an impact on the ability of patients to recover from certain diseases. They took the example of a cut in an elderly person. “Instead of just dealing with the cut, the body also has to deal with this imbalance of activity. (at the level of the genes)”, develops Luis Amaral. This could explain why, as we age, we don’t handle environmental challenges as well as when we were younger.. We know of cases where infections – mostly viral infections – lead to other problems later in life (…) Some viral infections can lead to cancer. The damage moves away from the infected area to other parts of our body, which is then less able to fight”.
In the future, the researchers hope their discovery will lead to the development of new therapies to slow aging and help the body fight infections, by restoring the balance between long and short genes.
